Author: Didier Lévy
Illustrator: Fred Benaglia
Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2019; orig. 2016
Age: 3-7
Themes: dragons, health, human-animal relationships
Opening: Can’t breathe fire? not even the tiniest flicker of flame? Has your pet dragon’s fire gone out? Don’t worry. There must be a way to relight him!
Summary: (from my library’s catalog) Has your dragon forgotten how to breathe fire? Have no fear. This imaginative story follows the exploits of one frustrated dragon owner as she tries increasingly hilarious tricks to rekindle her dragon’s flame. Covering everything from the simplest tactics (tickling the dragon), to the sneakiest ones (surprising it with unlit birthday candles), this book is perfect for children who love to guess what’s going to happen next. Readers will learn that in the end, the most important thing is loving the dragon unconditionally. If a person can do that, and if they mean it from the bottom of their heart, then they might discover a truly magical result.
I picked this book because: it’s so sweet AND funny! The writing as well as the illustrations done in a bright but limited palette. I love the voice of the dragon’s human and their heart!
Resources/activities: can you think of other ways to help a friend get their spark back – after giving them the time and space to just be with their predicament, of course! A nice companion book could be The Rabbit Listened, written and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld. Great launch for a discussion about respecting space and knowing when to give a friend some help.
For more Perfect Picture Book Friday picks with teacher/parent resources, check out the list on Susanna Hill’s blog HERE.
julie rowan-zoch 