Beloved picture book creator Mem Fox puts a fresh spin on a new baby book in this tender, funny story of unconditional love.
Two parents love their brand-new baby dragon…even though he is always breathing fire (especially when he’s hungry or tired). Dragon tries his best not to set any more fires, but sometimes accidents happen. And when he unwittingly coughs up another flame while playing, what are his loving-but-slightly-exasperated parents to do? He is a baby dragon, after all!---from the publisher
32 pages 978-1534453333 Ages 3-5
Keywords: dragons, parents, dealing with feelings, dealing with emotions, parenting, babies, unconditional love, 3 year old, 4 year old, 5 year old
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Having a young toddler in the house can sometimes seem like raising a dragon, especially as they start to push boundaries to exert and test their independence but don't have the words to articulate their frustration when things go wrong and so there is an explosion. Particularly if the child is tired or hungry,
In this new book from family favourite Mem Fox, the little one is portrayed as a dragon breathing fire rather than the usual manifestation of a tantrum, giving it a light-hearted touch as the parents remain patient and try to guide it to making better choices. Written in rhyme, Fox shows that the outbursts are unintentional - “And he also tries hard / to behave as required, / but flames often spout / when he’s hungry or tired.” and the parents' calm responses are teaching the child how to respond to any situation as much as the one at hand. IMO, if this is an older sibling sharing this story, it also helps them understand that the younger one is still learning so whereas they might get into trouble for doing something similar, that's because they've been through the learning stage and should know better by now. But what if the little one really were a dragon????
Put Mem Fox's name on a book for Australian children and you know you are going to get a story that is something special - and this lives up to expectations. ---from the publisher
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Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales AUSTRALIA
See more of her recommendations:
500 Hats http://500hats.edublogs.org/
The Bottom Shelf http://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/
Storybook Cushions http:// bit.ly/storybook_cushions
