Day 227: Not Your Typical Dragon

My son is still in a huge dragon phase, so naturally, I set out to see if I could find any good stories about his favorite creatures.  I came across this one while searching on Amazon, and was happy to be able to request it through our inter-library loan service.  Now that we've read it (many times), I think it should have a place in every library, everywhere!  What a cute story!

Crispin Blaze comes from a long line of fire-breathing dragons.  When he turns 7, he'll breathe fire, too!  Crispin can't wait to make his family proud.  "The little dragon imagined all the forests he would burn down.  He dreamed of all the castles he would destroy.  He also considered boiling water to make tea, but he didn't tell his father that."  When his birthday arrives, he takes a deep breath and prepares to light his candles, but all that comes out is whipped cream!  His father is shocked.  His mother worries what the neighbors will think (though his sister is excited to have whipped cream on the cake.)  Crispin's father rushes him to the doctor, but when he attempts to breathe fire again, Band-aids come out, instead!  He takes medicine, hoping it will help turn him into a real dragon, but when he attends his first fire-breathing practice at school, he breathes marshmallows, not fire!  Poor Crispin just doesn't fit in.  Worried that he'll disappoint his family and convinced he's not a real dragon, he decides to run away.   In a sweet and silly turn of events, Crispin and his family learn that his gifts are something to be celebrated, not ashamed of, and that the things that make us unique are the most special of all.

Not Your Typical Dragon is silly, sweet, and fun to read, with a simply fabulous message.  Be proud of who you are, embrace what makes you different, and appreciate the unique gifts that people have to share with the world.  After all, the world would be a pretty boring place if we were all the same!  My kids just can't get enough of this wonderful story, and I'm sure yours will love it, too.

Day 189: King Jack and the Dragon

One evening last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the library alone.  Yes, alone!  Granted, it was 7:30pm and I was simply stopping by to return some books that were due that day, but even so, my brief visit was lovely.  Don't get me wrong, I love taking my kids to the library, but that night, I reveled in my opportunity to browse the shelves in uninterrupted silence.  Of course, I still spent my whole 15 minutes of solitude in the children's section.  Where else would I be?  I knew my kids would be excited to read some new books that night at bedtime, and with a big storm on the way, I knew I would be eager to have some new stories to snuggle up and read with them by the fire.  As I passed by the first shelf, this book instantly caught my eye.  Dragons?  I'll take it!  (We're in a huge dragon phase in my house right now.)  As I often do, I judged this book solely by its cover and title, though as soon as I saw that it was illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (of We're Going on a Bear Hunt fame), I felt confident that I wouldn't be disappointed. To the librarian who re-shelved this book right at the end of the row so that it happened to be in plain sight, thank you!!!  Both my children and I instantly fell in love with this adorable story, and my daughter (2.5) has asked to read it every night and naptime since.  (Ever the admiring little sister, she follows her brother's lead and loves knights and dragons, too.)

King Jack and the Dragon is a delightful story that is bound to remind you of your own childhood adventures.  The playful text rhymes wonderfully, and Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are beautifully charming, as always.  There is a certain Where the Wild Things Are quality about this book, too, which I just love.  "Jack, Zack, and Caspar were making a den -- a mighty great fort for King Jack and his men.  A big cardboard box, an old sheet and some sticks, a couple of trash bags, a few broken bricks, a fine royal throne from a ragged old quilt, a drawbridge, a flag -- and the castle was built."  The three valiant knights spend their day fighting dragons and protecting their stronghold, until, alas, giants (of the mommy and daddy variety) come to take the wee young knights home to bed.  I love the way this story captures the pure beauty of childhood creativity and imagination, and hope it inspires both children and their parents to get back to the basics and just play.  (Never underestimate the entertainment value of a cardboard box!)  We find it particularly perfect for bedtime, but it's a wonderful read at any time of day.  The next time you're at the library, take a look on the "B" shelf for King Jack and the Dragon.  It's one great story that you won't want to miss.

Day 186: King Arthur's Very Great Grandson

I love any good story, any time, anywhere.  But when I find one that is about something one of my kids is particularly into at the time, it's even better.  When my son was one, he was obsessed with all things wheeled.  Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go was loved so much that we ended up having to get a second copy.  When he was son 2, he still loved cars and trucks, but also adored monkeys.  I found Cha Cha Chimps at the library and we've loved it ever since.  Other recent favorites include animals and dinosaurs (still ongoing), and now that he has turned 5, we've moved into the fabulous, magical world of pirates, knights, and dragons.  Funny how that happens, isn't it?  My son got some awesome pirate and knight Playmobil sets for his birthday and Christmas, as well as the movie How to Train Your Dragon, so we've been in all-out medieval mode for a few weeks now.  So fun!  I never know when one of my own dragons is going to go zooming past me in the kitchen, and I love listening in while they play with Toothless, Nightwing, and Googily (their plush and Playmobil dragons) in the living room.  Needless to say, when I saw this book out on the "New Arrivals" shelf at our local library, I snatched it right up.  I found the cover illustration inexplicably appealing, too, and couldn't wait to read it.  One read through King Arthur's Very Great Grandson and I knew I had to share it here!

Henry Alfred Grummorson is the great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of the brave King Arthur, "the noblest knight to ever wield a sword."  On the morning of his 6th birthday, Henry wakes up, mounts his trusty donkey steed, Knuckles, and sets out in search of great adventure.  Along the way, he encounters a Dragon, Cyclops, and Griffin, but much to his growing dismay, none of them wishes to take him on in battle.  The dragon simply blows smoke rings, the cyclops wants only to have a staring contest, and the griffin challenges Henry to a ferocious battle of... chess.  Determined, Henry decides to seek out the Leviathan, fearsome creature of the deep sea.  "There in the roiling waters, Henry caught a glimpse of a truly enormous beast just below the surface.  He cleared his throat, gathered together his six years of manhood, and shouted: "READY YOURSELF, MONSTER, AND I SHALL HAVE ADO WITH YOU!"  Has Henry finally met his match?

The ending of this fun, clever story will leaving you giggling and smiling; don't be surprised if you're asked to read it again as soon as you've finished!  I love some of the great vocabulary words scattered throughout the story (uttermost, peril, unsheathe, formidable, and Leviathan, to name a few), and Henry's invitations to "ado" are oh-so-fun to read aloud.  My son breaks into fits of laughter each time we read them.  As for the illustrations, I can't quite put my finger on why I like them so much, but it probably has to do with the contrasting colors and combination of intricate details and subtle, empty space.  I'm even more impressed with the fact that creator Kenneth Kraegel is a self-taught artist and author.  Way to knock your first book out of the park, Mr. Kraegel!  As described on the book's jacket cover, Kraegel "draws from myth and legend to craft a wonderfully inventive tale that is sure to delight adventurers of all ages."  We couldn't agree more.