A sweetly offbeat adventure that will have readers peering into their toilets for a dragon of their own.
Can you spot the friendly dragon?
“There are no dragons in this book,” an unseen narrator tells us repeatedly as kids frolic throughout a rambling house. But sharp-eyed readers will realize that in fact there is a dragon to be found here. The lurking dragon’s claws are visible beneath a coat hanging in the mudroom, there’s a gaping maw in the fireplace, and what’s that peering out of the toilet?! Kids will shout out with glee upon catching the creature that’s hidden in plain sight. When the sheepish, bespectacled dragon is finally revealed, it informs readers that there are no dragons here—“There’s only one. ME!” The beast tells us that its friends are hidden in a crack in the wall (the book’s gutter) and notes that the book must be jiggled to release them. This tried-and-true trick for engagement will delight. The art has a colored pencil–esque look, and the house has a messy, cozy feeling that matches the pacing and tone. Grown-ups appear throughout, though they don’t intervene in the mayhem even when the kids climb steep ladders, which may tickle some while arousing concern in others. Characters are racially diverse.
A sweetly offbeat adventure that will have readers peering into their toilets for a dragon of their own. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780735845497
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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
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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
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