There are NO DRAGONS in This Book

For story time at our house, the six-year-old grandson gets to pick out the books. He has a limit of three books per night. We have two shelves of books, but he has a cache of favorites he returns to time and again. I consider this an “in the wild customer satisfaction” survey. A consistent winner in this survey is There Are NO DRAGONS in This Book by Donna Lambo-Weidner.

I think it’s the assertion of the title that attracts him. From the cover onward, we see a red tail slithering through the pages. But, nope, the narrator insists, there are NO DRAGONS in this book.

Why the insistence that no dragons inhabit the book?

And who is this mysterious narrator, anyway?

After the mystery is revealed, the book ramps it up a notch. Active participation ensues. My grandson loves to be the one who takes charge of this activity. “Let me.” Are there any more “5 Star” words to recommend a book?

Every time I read a book to him, first thing, I read the author’s name and the illustrator’s name. I want to give credit where credit is due. When I read him Lambo-Weidner’s name, I say, “My friend wrote this book.” I want him to know that real people—perhaps like him one day—can write wonderful books.

So this endorsement isn’t from me. I could have bought the book only to have it sit forlorn on the shelf. Instead, 1-out-of-1 kids give There are NO DRAGONS in this Book an engaged thumbs up.