Zog and the Flying Doctors (Zog)

Dynamic duo Donaldson and Scheffler (Superworm, 2014, etc.) are back with a tale full of high drama, medical emergencies, and dragon crash landings in this sequel to A Gold Star for Zog (2012). In this outing, the pair reintroduces readers to the trio of traveling doctors: Gadabout the Great is an expert surgeon, Pearl has the distinction of being both a princess and a physician, and dragon Zog is a fire-breathing ambulance—albeit one that has some trouble with his landings. Flying from kingdom to kingdom and curing the maladies of the magical and nonmagical hoi polloi, the threesome passes Pearl’s uncle’s castle and decides to make a social call. Unfortunately, Pearl’s kingly uncle does not approve of a princess with outside employment. In a page turn, Pearl is transformed from medico to captive in a frilly dress, forced to embroider cushions and arrange flowers. As Gadabout and Zog try to save their friend, the king becomes ill with an unknown ailment. Teamwork saves the day (and cures the king of his misogynist attitude) thanks to Pearl’s medical research and Gadabout’s and Zog’s abilities to gather healing ingredients from past patients. Donaldson’s rhyme scheme is sharp, and fans will immediately recognize Scheffler’s distinctive style. Zog steals the show every time he quietly recovers from his bang-crash-thump landings in the background. The message is noble, but the lack of diversity—all the characters are white—tarnishes the crown. A solid storytime and lap-read that will amuse with each repeated read. (Picture book. 6-8)

Copyright 2017 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

In A Gold Star for Zog (rev. 7/12) dragon Zog became a flying ambulance for Pearl, a princess, and Gadabout, a knight, who ditched their frills and armor, respectively, to become traveling doctors. In this sequel, Zog flies Pearl and Gadabout around the kingdom to tend to various creatures’ ailments: they relieve a mermaid’s sunburn, remove a unicorn’s superfluous horn, and so on. Pearl’s only misdiagnosis is thinking that her uncle, the king, will welcome her visit to his palace: “‘Where have you been?’ he thundered. ‘You look an awful mess. / What’s happened to your crown? And where’s your pretty, frilly dress?’” When Pearl explains that she’s a doctor now, the king sends her to the dungeon (“Princesses can’t be doctors, silly girl!”). Nevertheless, when an illness besets him, Pearl devotes her jail time to researching a cure, which--and here Donaldson dexterously twines her story’s two strands--requires mermaid scales, horn of unicorn, etc. With its near-faultless rhymes and plentiful humor, this book stands in the company of tales that trumpet letting girls realize their potential (see, for example, the newly reissued The Practical Princess, reviewed on page 138). Scheffler, whose characters exhibit cuddlesome lumpiness, finds the comedy in every scene. nell beram

Copyright 2017 Horn Book Magazine, LLC Used with permission.

In this sequel to A Gold Star for Zog, Pearl (a princess) and Gadabout (a knight) become traveling doctors. Pearl's only misdiagnosis is thinking that her uncle, the king, will welcome her ("Princesses can't be doctors!"). But when he falls ill, Pearl finds the cure. Donaldson's text contains near-faultless rhymes and plentiful humor; Scheffler, whose characters exhibit cuddlesome lumpiness, finds the comedy in every scene.

Copyright 2018 Hornbook, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2--Princess Pearl, a doctor with a knack for medicines, and Gadabout the Great, both a knight and expert surgeon, fly across the kingdom on Zog, their trusty dragon steed, bringing medical care to creatures of all kinds. With a "Bang-crash-thump" (Zog is good at flying, but not really at landing), they bring relief to a sunburned mermaid, remove a unicorn's extra horn, and care for a sneezing lion with the flu. But the generous Flying Doctors are halted by Pearl's patriarchal uncle, a king who proclaims, "Princesses can't be doctors, silly girl." Pearl is locked in a tower, until her uncle comes down with orange fever. The court doctors are stumped, but the Flying Doctors work together to gather ingredients from their former patients to cure the king. The king is so happy, he apologizes and frees Pearl. Rhyming text makes for a jaunty read-aloud in this predictable yet satisfying story of an empowered princess. The narrative, a well-balanced mix of dialogue and description, flows along at an even pace. The cartoonish mixed-media illustrations set the story in a classical, forested, European-inspired kingdom. The humorous details and amusing facial expressions provide much to explore on first and subsequent rereadings. Although the female character is still stereotypically the caregiver while the male character is the surgeon, it's still nice to have a strong, resourceful female protagonist whose intelligence helps her prevail in a man's world. VERDICT Bouncing read-aloud text, delightful illustrations, and a modern girl power plot make this a fine general purchase for libraries.--Amy Seto Forrester, Denver Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Praise for A Gold Star for Zog

A New York Times Notable Book

"Donaldson, the current children's laureate in Britain, is a master of witty comic rhyme and original stories with heart. Here she and Scheffler outdo themselves with the smart, funny — dare I say, deep? — story of a dragon in training, a princess who wants to be a doctor and a knight who could use a bit of rescuing. The book gets a gold star too." — New York Times

"While Scheffler's characters are straight out of fantasy, they exude a sweet, down-to-earth quality that makes them instantly sympathetic. Readers will get a kick out of the genial self-awareness in his cartooning — on almost every spread, a character glances at the audience as if to say, 'Can you believe this?'" — Publishers Weekly

"A delightful new twist on happily-ever-after." — School Library Journal