Leonardo’s Dragon: Five Far-Flung Dragon Tales  
Donovan Bixley

Leonardo’s Dragon: 
Five Far-Flung Dragon Tales  
Author and illustrator: Donovan Bixley 
Upstart Press (Auckland) 2025
Picture book, paperback, 80 pages
ISBN 978 1 77694 071 4  

 

‘Come with me, Caterina. Come and meet the dragon.’

This handsome picture book is a companion to the artist-author’s equally handsome A Portrait of Leonardo. Donovan Bixley was so intrigued by the tale of Leonardo da Vinci’s pet dragon that he has written an account of it and linked it with four other dragon tales.

The connecting character in these stories is Caterina, a bright young servant girl who works with her mother in the kitchens of the Vatican’s Belvedere Palace, where Leonardo da Vinci is a guest artist. Caterina has an enquiring mind, so she is intrigued by rumours of Leonardo’s dragon. Her determination to see if the beast really exists brings her into contact with some widely-travelled dignitaries. She is told (or sometimes eavesdrops on) several dragon stories before the truth is revealed.

Giovanni of the Mirrors tries to tell Caterina his version of the Polish legend of the Wawel Dragon of Krakow, although Caterina persuades him to turn the dragon’s nemesis into a bright young girl. She stands alone against the dragon which threatens the city.

‘Its teeth were as sharp as daggers, its scales like armour and its hunger was endless.’

In her dreams, Caterina becomes a sea-going dragon – a sea serpent perhaps – which guides a double-hulled voyaging cane through a stormy crisis. (Kiwi readers will have no trouble identifying the voyagers.)

Next day, Caterina is serving at a papal banquet and overhears the Ottoman ambassador telling dragon tales. His story of ‘The Unfortunate Soldier and the Dragon’ shows how dragons may seem savage and threatening but they also respond well to fair treatment.

In the Vatican gardens, gathering herbs, Caterina literally bumps into a kindly old man. ‘It was as if someone had finally seen her, the Caterina who was sharp and inquisitive, and not just plain old Caterina the kitchen lass.’  (Readers will spot his identity quicker than Caterina does.) He tells her his own hilarious version of the story of Saint George’s encounter with the dragon (or rather Donovan Bixley’s version of Kenneth Grahame’s version).

After this, Caterina finally meets Leonardo’s dragon, the beast which has been terrifying some Vatican dignitaries. This meeting brings a perfect conclusion to her dragon quest.

Because the illustrations are by Donovan Bixley, it goes without saying that they are elegantly designed, richly-coloured and craftily detailed. He has brought to vibrant life not only the myths but also the dragons. Each dragon is depicted completely differently, matching the theme of its particular story. 

The best picture shows a Japanese flying dragon carrying an unfortunate soldier – a deeply alarmed samurai – high above the mountains.

As a bonus, Donovan Bixley has followed Leonardo’s example and included a few of his preparatory sketches. Donovan Bixley’s fans will be pleased to find that, as with all his other books, he has neatly carved (or, in this volume, embroidered) his initials into one of the pictures.

This book is a pleasure to read and a joy to look at.

 

Trevor Agnew 

22 Sep 2025 [Review 3792]