As I began to write this story I realized that I needed to mold my characters so that their strengths and weakness could play off of each other.  The Littlest Dragon was made so small so that he would look insignificant and inept at handling difficulties of life but it is because he is so small that this apparent weakness becomes his strength.  His small size would also create a coziness that would appeal to the readers, especially young girls.

I wanted to keep the story in line with the Chinese legend that Leizu discovered silk but besides changing her history from being the wife of the Yellow emperor to the daughter of the emperor, with whom young readers can identify, I wanted her to come from a very poor kingdom.  It is because of this poverty that the Princess is faced with a crisis in the middle of the story that she must overcome.

The underlying message of this story is that you don’t have to have magical abilities, super human talents or extreme wealth to be successful.  Anyone can become successful and achieve their dreams.  A goal, persistence and action are some of the most important keys to achieve success.

Princess Leizu had a humble childhood.  Her mornings were spent with her aunt who ran the royal weaving mill that had previously been managed by her husband who is now deceased.  Afternoons were spent studying in the garden where she was tutored by this aunt.  These morning and afternoon experiences shaped her character; she is hardworking, diligent and humble.

Growing up in the second half of the Twenth Century I was lucky to spend some of the spare time watching animated works from the golden age of cartoons.  Walt Disney Studio’s Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were at first my favorites but my appreciation to cartoons characters soon spread to those from Warner Brothers.  The antics of Porky Pig were always amusing and I was especially fond of the clowning around of Bugs Bunny.

Since I grew up in the city of Burbank where these two studios were located I felt especially proud of their work.  In time my sensibilities grew to appreciate the work of other animators especially the work of Walter Lantz.  The Lantz studios were best known for Woody Woodpecker who I always enjoyed watching but in time I found that the characters Andy Panda and Chilly Willy, who seemed less polished, were therefore more endearing to me.

It was to my surprise that when The Littlest Dragon finally appeared on my drawing board he had a look that stylistic was similar to the characters from the Lantz studio.  He had that cute innocent look of Andy Panda, much like a ten-year-old boy with lots of energy mixed with a naïve curiosity.  The interesting thing was that I hadn’t thought of Lantz’s work or any cartoon characters until I saw the likeness in my drawing.