Ssserek defeat a hunter and his dogs. Later, the animal friends help each other recover from a tornado and are treated to a visit from a princess dragon. Embedded in each adventure is a lesson about valuing friends and treating others with respect.

Richard W. Leech, MD, a retired professor of medicine and author of two previous books, proves himself capable of producing highly imaginative scenarios. His collection of characters maintain distinctive personalities throughout the book, and even the secondary characters recur regularly with worthwhile new roles to play.

Unfortunately, a few problems will keep readers from thoroughly enjoying this book. First, while the author recommends a readership of children between the ages of nine and twelve, there are several instances of language and drama that are inappropriate. For instance,the nature and seriousness of the present
offense and defendant’s professed motivation for it—purportedly he stole the paint and
attempted to return it to feed his young child. The court also weighed the factors in
aggravation, including a long history of criminal activity encompassing crimes similar in
nature to the present offense, and a propensity for “scamming.” Defendant had a prior
arrest in Oklahoma in 1992 for second degree burglary, for which he was sentenced to
five years in prison. In 2000, defendant was convicted of first degree burglary (§ 459) for
which he was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Following that, defendant was convicted
of check fraud (§ 475, subd. (c)) in California in 2002 and sentenced to 28 months in




             