Muller, R. (1979). Puff The Magic Dragon. Avon Books.
Summary: Jackie Draper is a little boy whose parents are worried because he does not speak. They are so concerned that they bring in a team of doctors to figure out what is wrong, and they do what they can do to get Jackie to speak. The prognosis is not good, Jackie does not speak, and the doctors say he probably never will, which really upsets his parents. Just then, when Jackie is alone in his room, something magical happens. A dragon mysteriously appears. The dragon makes himself small enough to enter his bedroom window, and he ultimately befriends Jackie, and Puff takes the “living thing” out of Jackie Drapers’s ear, and puts it into a paper sketch of Jackie Draper named, Jackie Paper. Jackie paper can talk, and Puff takes him on a journey to find the land of Honah Lee which is like a utopia, and Jackie can not wait to get there, and Puff can not wait to take him. Along the way they encounter many things that petrify Jackie with fear, like a giant pirate, which Jackie discovers through a cloud of Puff’s smoke really only ever wanted to be a chef. Once realizing this, Jackie is able to see how things that are scary on the surface, have a much less scary explanation underneath. In this case, The giant scary pirate is upset at everything and everyone because he really just wants to be a chef but was forced by his pirate parents to be a pirate. Jackie is able to find the courage, and bravely confront the pirate, and convince him to pursue being a chef like he really wants. Jackie was very convincing, and the Pirate decides that Jackie is right, and he is very grateful, and he is finally happy being a chef. Jackie goes on to encounter different situations like this one where Puff reveals the not so scary issue underneath the very scary surface which allows Jackie to find his confidence, and to come up with a solution for each of the different characters that they encounter. On the way back from their adventure, the ‘living thing’ is returned to Jackie Draper’s ear, and he discovers that he can speak.

Relevance: The book is a fantasy book of course, but there is a lot here to digest, especially for a book published in 1979 when not a lot was really put into concepts, and terminology about anxiety, like we do today, hence the misconception and accompanying diagnosis by the doctors in this book. Through Puff, Jackie was able to take a step back and find the hope in each situation, which is a crucial coping mechanism when dealing with anxiety. ( )

This is not some great example of children's literature, but it did fulfill its purpose as a book for young readers. I tend to view it with nostalgia since as a child I loved Puff. We had a 45 record of the associated songs and I can still sing them (but I promise I won't). The book addresses the self-imposed limitations of excessive fear and I think what remains appealing about it is its focus on the need to do what one can for others, even if afraid. I also like it that villains were treated as people with problems that made them unhappy- and that could be resolved with a little help from understanding friends or potential friends. I would recommend this book to interested children. ( )