When Ellie is very small, she finds a tiny dragon just hatched from its egg. Ellie calls him Scratch, takes him home, and moves him into her dollhouse. Her mother can't see Scratch, and her teacher doesn't notice when Ellie takes Scratch to preschool, but her friends are amazed. But dragons get quite large as they grow. And Ellie is growing, too, moving from dollhouses to dance parties with friends, not noticing as Scratch's form begins to fade a little.