How to Be Friends with a Dragon

January 2, 2012
Young Simon “loved everything about dragons.” But when it comes to achieving his ultimate goal—as articulated by the title—he must rely on his older sister, Emma, for pointers. “If you ever meet a dragon, don’t show that you are scared of him,” she decrees, as Gorbachev (Shhh!) offers a splendid watercolor-and-ink image of Simon’s first encounter with a supersized green beast that breathes fire but has kindly eyes. If readers think that the story’s going to be Simon’s show after that, they’re in for a strange ride. Emma continues to issue a long list of befriending instructions; Simon assents to each one, though he is often seen breaking the rules in the illustrations, swinging from the dragon’s tail or waking him up with a poke to the nose. The dragon, who lives in a stately castle and wears a chef’s apron when he fries eggs in his mouth, indeed seems like a friend worth courting. But with Emma controlling the strings, Simon’s fantasy feels more like a marionette show than something he owns. Ages 4–7.

January 1, 2012
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. Decorum delivered in a refreshing package. (Picture book. 3-6)

(COPYRIGHT (2012) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-Simon, a mischievous little boy, is a big fan of all things dragon. He would like nothing better than to become friends with a "real" dragon. His older sister, Emma, an adorable, bespectacled know-it-all, offers him many rules for befriending one. Starting with not scaring the dragon and being nice, her guidelines include wearing a seatbelt when flying on his back, not poking the sleeping creature in the nose with a stick, and saying "thank you" when he fries up some eggs in his mouth. The beast, initially portrayed as an oversize green plush toy in Simon's arms, becomes enormous but friendly looking in the "rules" pages, with tufted ears and horns and an affable expression. Bright, mostly full-page watercolor and ink illustrations in Gorbachev's characteristic style are brimming with gentle humor. Pair this book with Jack Kent's classic There's No Such Thing as a Dragon (Golden, 2001) or David Biedrzycki's Me and My Dragon (Charlesbridge, 2011) for a fun, fire-breathing storytime.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2012
Preschool-G Dragon-taming is a common theme in children's media, and it's not hard to see why. Here young Simon loves everything about dragons and confesses to his older sister that he'd like to make friends with one. She proceeds to tell him the rules of dragon-befriendingnormal etiquette reminders such as not forgetting to say thank you when the dragon serves lunch (perhaps eggs he's fried in his own mouth), but also dragon-specific rules such as not to put a stick into his nose while he's sleeping, since dragons not only breathe fire, but also sneeze it. Each rule is pictured in full-page spreads featuring Simon cavorting with the bright-green creature. Suitably in a book for younger readers, this dragon isn't too scary, despite all the pyrotechnics. He's got whiskers like a cat, and a wide-eyed, friendly expression on his face. Making friends and exercising the imagination are key tasks on young kids' to-do lists; Simon shows how to have fun doing both.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
When Simon tells his sister he wants to make friends with his favorite animal, a dragon, Emma explains all the rules: don't show you're afraid and don't scare him; be polite and don't tease; and if he takes you flying be sure to wear your seatbelt. Gorbachev's distinctive sketchy illustrations expand the various rules and add humor to this simple fantasy.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)