There’ll be no “dragon” of feet about reading this book: Kids will devour it.
A child indulges in a flight of fancy.
A brown-skinned youngster fantasizes about what it would be like to have a dragon. Sure, there are other cryptids to choose from. But the young narrator already has a unicorn, krakens require too much space, trolls are terrifying, and the yeti is abominable. Plus, dragons are “epic,” “amazing,” and “legendary.” And think of the fun you’d have with a dragon: learning to breathe fire, flying to school on her back, reading together at the library, and baking (you don’t even need an oven!). True, dragon ownership has its drawbacks: Dragons must eat a couple of knights “to keep their breath alight.” Meeting this need calls for weekly trips to the museum so the dragon can scarf down armored knights on display. (And just imagine the pile of flaming poop this would result in! Talk about epic—and epic fits of reader giggles, no doubt.) Another challenge: finding and storing caches of gold, because, you see, dragons love to bathe in it! Children who enjoy stretching their imaginations to the limit will appreciate this tale, narrated in rollicking rhyme. They’ll love discussing and even illustrating the adventures they’d have if they owned a dragon. Set against white backdrops, the colorful, dynamic cartoon images drive the story well. The graceful dragon, while toothy, isn’t fearsome. Background characters are racially diverse.
There’ll be no “dragon” of feet about reading this book: Kids will devour it. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9780500653630
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Like the last sip of a chocolate milkshake, it’s very satisfying.
A story-reading dragon—what’s not to like?
Duncan the Dragon loves to read. But the stories so excite him, his imagination catches fire—and so do his books, leaving him wondering about the endings. Does the captain save the ship? Do aliens conquer the Earth? Desperate to reach the all-important words “The End” (“like the last sip of a chocolate milk shake”), he tries reading in the refrigerator, in front of a bank of electric fans, and even in a bathtub filled with ice. Nothing works. He decides to ask a friend to read to him, but the raccoon, possum, and bull all refuse. Weeping, Duncan is ready to give up, but one of his draconic tears runs “split-splat into a mouse,” a book-loving mouse! Together they battle sea monsters, dodge icebergs, and discover new lands, giving rise to a fast friendship. Driscoll’s friendly illustrations are pencil sketches painted in Adobe Photoshop; she varies full-bleed paintings with vignettes surrounded by white space, imaginary scenes rendered in monochrome to set them apart. Duncan himself is green, winged, and scaly, but his snout is unthreateningly bovine, and he wears red sneakers with his shoelaces untied—a nicely vulnerable touch. Though there are lots of unusual friendship stories in picture books, the vivid colors, expressive faces, and comic details make this one likely to be a storytime hit.
Like the last sip of a chocolate milkshake, it’s very satisfying. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-75507-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fairy fodder, nothing more.
A brand-new fairy godmother tests her skills on a group of children determined to catch her.
The latest installment in the popular How To Catch series follows the protagonist as she leaves Fairy Godmother Land as a recent grad who’s nervous about her first job (“I should know how to do this, / but all I feel is stress. / Chosen for these children, / I don’t want to be a hot mess”). As she observes the children she’s been tasked with helping, they spot her and decide to catch her for show and tell. Though they set several traps, including a “selfie with a unicorn” station, she evades capture, leaving behind a snapshot as a gift. Readers never see the fairy godmother’s face until the final page reveals her photo—an effective way to keep kids wondering. While the moral of the story—trying new things is scary but worth it—is an important one, the plot is a bit thin. Sure, the fairy godmother “helps” the children by leaving them with a photo of her, but that feels almost like a happy accident; readers never find out why she was “chosen” for these children. Fans of the series who adore all things magical will enjoy this title, but those seeking an engaging tale should look elsewhere. The fairy godmother presents Black, while the children are racially diverse.
Fairy fodder, nothing more. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781728293004
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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