TEN DRAGON EGGS

Mama Dragon needs your help hatching her 10 eggs.

Readers are invited to count down from 10 to one and to repeat “Shim-shim-shimmy-shout! Baby dragling, please come out!” as one by one the eggs crack open. There’s a dragling whose two intertwining horns resemble a beehive, one who has a crystal ring around its toe, and one with heart-shaped wings. The partially rhyming text will help readers count down and also strengthens the echo of the refrain, though the inconsistency interrupts the cadence and may make for a slightly bumpy read-aloud. Mama Dragon, using her fiery breath to help the eggs hatch, appears appropriately exhausted by draglings six and seven. The final egg holds a surprise sure to have little ones squealing with joy. The closing image shows mother and babies curled up in a sleeping heap, the sun behind them setting over the water. Children will want to revisit this one for the visuals alone. Large and striking images fill the pages. Ebbeler’s appealing illustrations depict dragons who are monstrous and majestic though never scary (and quite endearing, too)—just the right balance for little ones. As a counting down title, this one is a success, describing—and visually showing—how many eggs remain unhatched on each page. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Delightful and imaginative.