by Valeri Gorbachev & illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2012
The prolific Gorbachev, (Shhh!, 2011, etc.) uses a soft color palette to introduce readers to a spirited dragon lover named...
A sweet and gentle picture book with friendship, etiquette and a hint of dragon breath.
The prolific Gorbachev, (Shhh!, 2011, etc.) uses a soft color palette to introduce readers to a spirited dragon lover named Simon. The boy’s secret: He wants to befriend a dragon. His older, wiser sister, Emma, has a quick response: “If you want to make friends with a dragon, you must remember the rules…” The author deftly teaches life lessons with the softest of nudges. Emma’s worldly recitation of tips for dragon friendship shows that befriending a dragon is a lot like befriending anyone else, requiring courtesy and kindness. “[D]on’t try to scare him”; “be nice”; “[a]fter lunch, when the dragon takes a nap, you really shouldn’t try to wake him up by putting a stick in his nose.” The imagined scenes play up the comedy, varying perspective when necessary and depicting the cowboy-hat–clad little boy interacting with a classically spiky, winged green dragon whose amiably goofy expression poses no threat, even when breathing fire. Bedtime approved thanks to its soft palette and reassuring tone, and clever enough to land in many a read-again pile.Pub Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8075-3432-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2012
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by Barbara Joosse ; illustrated by Randy Cecil ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 2017
Fans of the series will delight in seeing these favorites again, and Girl and Dragon should win some new ones.
A young girl and a dragon take their sweet friendship on an adventure.
After sharing the beginning and deepening of their friendship in Lovabye Dragon (2012) and Evermore Dragon (2015), Joosse puts this twosome on a journey to the high seas. Girl, forever sleeping in her same bed, dreams of sailing away. Dragon, snug in his lair, dreams of sailing with Girl. “Sometimes when friends share a heart / they dream the same thing, apart.” So they pack a wicker basket, a spyglass, and a banner and wave goodbye. The ocean provides plenty of interest with dolphins, whales, and Bad Hats with ratty beards (depicted as Vikings who differ only in the amount of their facial hair). There’s also a cat. The dreamy, highly textured oil pictures by Cecil in his signature palette of gentle grays, greens, and blues make the transition from land to sea seamlessly. With a tender nod to “The Owl and the Pussycat,” the scenery is full of diversions while the clever rhyming verse full of wordplay drifts the story farther from Home. The hazy images allow young minds to see this tiny princess with dark hair as racially ambiguous. As in many famous stories, one must leave home to find home, which is the same for these two loving friends. “With Dragon as boat / and Girl as crew / there was nothing—nothing—they couldn’t do!”
Fans of the series will delight in seeing these favorites again, and Girl and Dragon should win some new ones. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7313-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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by Barbara Joosse ; illustrated by Kim Barnes
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by Barbara Joosse ; illustrated by Renée Graef
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by Barbara Joosse & Anneke Lisberg ; illustrated by Jared Schorr
by Barbara Joosse ; illustrated by Randy Cecil ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 4, 2015
A beguiling read-aloud for more than princess-and-dragon lovers.
The comforting friendship between a young girl and an enormous dragon deepens.
In Lovabye Dragon (2012), Joosse shared a hopeful tale of sweet friendship between an unlikely pair. Moving on from the first book, the friendship continues to grow here with an innocent game of hide-and-seek. Doesn’t Girl see the dragon hiding behind a very small rock? Both children and adults reading this story will chuckle, though for slightly different reasons. The two friends delight in their togetherness. When Girl takes her turn to hide, she runs to a faraway hidey-hole and becomes lost in the night, separated from Dragon. “But she cried silver tears / worry worry tears / and her heart thumped a sound / a trem-below sound / that only Dragon friends, / very very special friends, can hear.” So summoned, the distressed Dragon flies to her rescue: “I am here,” he rumbles; Girl whispers, “You’re a dear.” Although the theme of rescue seems similar to the first title, the thoughtfully constructed, rhythmic text sprinkled with clever neologisms moves the action forward, while the comforting palette of hazy grays, blues, and browns keeps the distress minimal. The teary and frightened Girl shines in her starlike yellow gown, muted yet hope-filled on the dreamy pages.
A beguiling read-aloud for more than princess-and-dragon lovers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6882-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2015
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