Els Oot and the Baby Dragon (Tilley Pond Mouse Book 2)

While conducting a lake survey one fall morning with Tonk the mapmaker and Trillo the cricket, Els Oot the mouse makes an astounding discovery. He spies a baby dragon behind a bush. Alone. Crying.

The discovery leads Els and his companions on a journey to the far-off Golden Mountains. Their mission: return the baby dragon to her home. The journey is not an easy one. Chased by vultures and often hindered by difficult terrain, the mapmakers, the baby dragon and a feisty porcupine named Melvin find that they need to tap into every last ounce of their own resourcefulness and courage.

Where courage itself is not enough, Els discovers that sometimes aid (and laughter) can come from the unexpected kindness of strangers - from a funny fish that drinks bubbly water in a stream to hedge hogs bowling in the meadow grass by a bonfire. Through the mystery of dragon stones, the terror of a dark wind brought forth by vultures and the exhilaration of riding on a flying dragon, Els persists, believing, as Tonk says, that "There's always someone watching out for small animals."

Els Oot and the Baby Dragon is a sequel to Els Oot and the Mapmaker but may be read as a stand-alone book. It is intended for grade 3 readers and above.