Dragons

REVIEW: Again! by Emily Gravett

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genre: Picture Book
Audience: Preschool–Kindergarten

Summary: Again! Again! is the refrain of Cedric the little dragon, whose poor Mommy dragon is trying to get him to go to bed. Mommy dragon reads the story again and again, until she falls asleep and then something surprising happens!

Lucinda’s Views: As the mother of a three-year-old girl, I completely identified with this book’s premise. How many times have we as parents had to read or repeat an action “Again!” The illustrations of Cedric’s patient mother are hillarious as she gets more and more exhausted as the book progresses. Cedric, in spite of his demands, is just an adorable little dragon and preschool children will completely identify with his wish for his mommy to read the story “Again!” The ending has a surprise twist that I won’t spoil here, but needless to say, kiddos will enjoy the novelty and the imagination of the ending. A fun read!

DUAL REVIEW: Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Lucinda’s Rating: 4/5 Stars
Tracy’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Genre: Picture Book
Audience: Preschool to 1st grade

Summary: In this cautionary tale for all would-be hosts of parties for dragons, Adam Rubin gives tips for what to feed the guests at your party.  In short:  DRAGONS LOVE TACOS!  However, do not ever feed your guest dragons spicy salsa.  (Dragons hate spicy salsa! It makes them “hot under the collar!”)

Lucinda’s Views: This cute, imaginative book’s title was what really caught my attention. How often do you see the words dragon and tacos in one title?  Exactly….Anyway, with its cute tale of what to feed dragons this book is a humorous read aloud that kids of all ages will enjoy. With its fanciful art and innovative subject matter, this is a book that your kiddos will want you to read again and again.

Tracy’s Thoughts: This cute and clever picture book is virtually guaranteed to tickle any young child’s fancy. The story revels in its silliness, and the colorful pencil and watercolor artwork is both fabulous and hilarious. Despite an unfortunately abrupt ending (from my point of view, and the primary reason I didn’t select it for our Best of 2012 list), this is a fun and cheerful story with a lot of kid appeal.