It’s Fall!! It’s time for Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!
We all know those little dragons who just can’t behave. They’re busy coloring on the walls. Playing pranks. Throwing sand.
This story is about an incorrigible dragon, just like the ones you may have at home—only worse. The dragon terrorizes villagers, spitting on cupcakes, stomping on flowers, stealing candy from baby unicorns. Then the KING makes a proclamation that sounds quite authoritarian, rewarding any knight who can tame the dragon. Everyone has high hopes. But the knights fail miserably.
That pesky, tagging dragon…..Another proclamation, this time offering a reward to the villagers if they can tame the dragon.
That pesky, tagging dragon. But the villagers fail, too.
Enter a boy with a feathered cap who takes a different, mysterious approach to taming that terrible dragon. An approach that focuses on telling a story. Yes, folks. This book shows us how the power of story can tame the most terrible of dragons, our children. And it’s done without moralizing, pointing fingers, or otherwise hitting the reader on the head with anything resembling a plank. Well done!
TITLE: Dragon Was Terrible
Ages: preschool – first grade
Author: Kelly DiPucchio
Illustrator: Greg Pizzoli
Publisher and pub date: FSG 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30049-4
Jilanne Hoffmann 
Great review…you got my interest!
Now just read it to someone small. That’s all I ask. 😀
Hi Jilanne! Sounds like a fab book, I don’t have any small people around to read it to though! Do you think my pets would like it?
Well, you know, pets act like dragons, too. I think you could read it to them and tame their dragons in the process. 😀 I need to head over to your blog to see what you’ve been up to….
The graffiti made me giggle with delight (“dragon was here again”). Lovely to be reading your posts again!
That little dragon is incorrigible. Thanks for reading! It’s good to be back in blogosphere. I miss you!
Totally love this one, Jilanne…I need to get it and read the whole thing…looks like it would be a great mentor text…as well as a fun story for my grandson.
Yes, I think it’s a fabulous mentor text. With just the right trials and twists and humor. And fun!
Love the humour, it had me smiling and I haven’t cracked a smile since 2013…I will look for this in the shops.
Your oh-too-sober self needs a dragon or two on occasion.
Two dragons, that would cost me a fortune but you only live once…and sometimes briefly, with dragons lol.
Dragon looks as if it might like its tummy tickling
How did you know dragons like to be tickled? Are they related to cats?
The delectableness of their proffered tums. It’s why they breathe fire and pretend to be fierce. They love being tickled but are afraid in case the tickler is too rough. You have to approach a Dragon slowly, speaking rhyming nonsense, and waving up our fingers enticingly to let the Dragon know your tickling will be gentle. Dragons, like cats, purr when pleased.
That explains everything! Oh, and cats love to be read to, I hear. The local SPCA has a “2-hour reading to cats” time each day. You’ve gotta love it!
That looks adorable! I love the layout of the page.
I think it was brilliant to have the dragon tagging show not once, but a second time on the altered proclamation sign. Made me laugh. Thanks for stopping by!
This book sounds pretty funny! 😀
It’s hilarious! in a dragon-y kind of way…
I’ve missed hearing about books like this! I love the graffiti – those dragons can be pretty pesky. I hope everything’s going well with you these days. I just saw that you got to meet Britt – that’s so great!
Hi Shelia! Yes, it was sooo cool to finally meet Britt! I’ve been pretty absent lately, trying to find a new agent, keeping a new puppy from chewing up the house or piddling inside, working on Kidquake (a big Litquake event targeting schoolkids, and taking an online poetry class. And I just found out I’ll be heading to the Big Sur Writing Workshop put on by the Andrea Brown Agency in early December. I just don’t have time to keep up with my blog or read many other blogs. As soon as things chill a little, I’m going to be more present. Hope all is well with you!
Wow – lots of craziness going on! I know what you mean – life definitely gets in the way of blogging. Good luck with everything and have fun with that puppy!