ROAR AND SPARKLES GO TO SCHOOL

The bond between a little brother and his big sister helps him tackle his first day of school.

Roar is not ready for the summer to be over. The little dragon loves spending time at the beach with his family, especially his older sister, Sparkles. Besides, fall means school, and Roar is very nervous that he will have to do things that he’s not so sure he can yet, like breathe fire by himself. Sparkles tries to reassure him, but Roar still worries. On the first day, the sister sweetly takes care of her brother, holding his hand as they ride the school bus (a giant flying dragon!) and walking him to class. Roar’s moods quickly morph from worried to happy as he makes a new friend. The school day progresses as it usually does, albeit with some draconic twists, and Roar draws a picture of what he loves most of all: Sparkles, who is there to meet him for the bus ride home. Readers will enjoy the peek at dragon life that Whitehouse provides, from the way Roar’s mom roasts the veggies before they come out of the garden to the pesky winged ponies that must be chased off the roof. In the brightly colored illustrations, yellow Roar looks like his father, and orange Sparkles takes after her mother (the female characters have eyelashes).

Would that every older child looked after his or her new-to-school younger sibling with such kindness and attention.