I love dragon stories and love to write stories with dragons. They spark my imagination and can be a menacing presence or powerful ally in any story. As a children’s book author, a parent, and a teacher of very young children, I feel dragons make remarkable central characters in many stories. These stories all take a dragon character and make them an ally and a friend. My most recent book focuses on this theme and these are some other just wonderfully written and illustrated picture books I have read and shared with my kids and students that teach about friendship and overcoming differences.
This book is hilarious. It is a story about a very poorly behaved-dragon. He stomped on flowers, stole candy from baby unicorns, and was really very rude. The king orders the knights to tame him, which doesn’t work. Then he asks EVERYONE ELSE to tame him with little success.
Finally, one boy has a plan, and it works! He makes friends with the terrible dragon. There are cute and expressive illustrations throughout, and it's so funny.
We all know dragons are terrible, but this one is especially terrible. He scribbles in books. He steals candy from baby unicorns. He even burps in church. Seriously, who does that? Dragon, that's who. The king, the knights, and the villagers are desperate to take down this beast once and for all. But sometimes it's up to the unlikeliest of heroes to tame a dragon this terrible.
A young knight befriends a terrifying dragon with a penchant for baking near his home. They spend their time baking together and enjoying many cookies.
The time is coming, however, for the annual duels when a young knight must spear a dragon, and dragons must eat a knight that he cooked with his own breath! What will they do? This book is lyrical and charming and the illustrations are just perfect for the story. I’m sure by the end, everyone will want some scrumptious cookies!
In a mythical kingdom, a knight and a dragon cook up a delicious plan to save their friendship! In Dough Knights and Dragons, a curious knight and an amiable dragon meet serendipitously, and instantly bond over their shared love of baking. But the friends are filled with sadness when, according to the law, the two must duel one another. Can the unlikely pair find a way to evade the law, save their friendship, and spread good throughout the land? Kids will devour this scrumptiously clever tale!
In Book 1 in the epic dragon romantasy series Annals of the Dragon Dreamer, Zyla Powerbane rises from orphan obscurity to dragon rider as she completes a seemingly never-ending set of tasks to return her world to balance and save the sentient Lynkyn forests that are key to dragon survival.…
A group of dragons is desperate for a break from their day-to-day, pondering where they could go for a vacation. Should they go to the clouds? To a waterfall? To the ocean?
This book is just bursting with colorful characters and every kind of dragon there is. Told in verse, this is wonderful for a read-aloud at circle time. The art is cute and very appealing, and it is definitely one of my favorite dragon books to share with the kids in my class.
When the mighty dragons need a break, where do they go?
Do they soar to hidden waterfalls, frolic with mermaids in the sea, or visit faraway castles to play with knights and princesses? This whimsical rhyming adventure will spark your child's imagination and take them on a magical journey through the possibilities of a dragon's dream getaway.
Perfect for bedtime or storytime, Where Do Dragons Go on Vacation? invites young readers to explore fantastical locations and ponder the mysteries of these mythical creatures.
Themes and Topics for Parents and Teachers:
Imagination and Creativity: Encourages children to dream big and envision…
Dragon is the best at making balloon sculptures, drawing, and performing with his drums and guitar. He beats Frog in the race and is NOT a good winner. Dragon is a show-off and stacks the highest block tower. And then one day no one is around, because no one likes a “Braggin Dragon”.
This book has a great message about learning to appreciate your friends and how to be humble. The art in this book is excellent. The character design is brilliant and funny, and the book and text design works really well. A fantastic book on friendship to add to a classroom.
The Braggin’ Dragon is a fun book that teaches children how to compliment, be positive, and reap the rewards of positive energy and friendships.
Meet a dragon that can’t help himself from bragging. He brags all the time, but the problem is he starts to lose friends doing so. "I’m faster than Horse, of course. That’s not how you jog, Frog!" And just like that, Frog and Horse don’t want to spend so much time around Dragon. It goes on with the other animals until Dragon is, almost alone. Determined to help his friend, Crow stays behind and offers some…
A corrupt kingdom. A rising darkness. Can a broken warrior save a world?
Mithranar is a country divided by ignorance and magic. Oppressed by their winged folk rulers, humans struggle to eke out an existence. Their only help comes from the mysterious Shadowhawk, a criminal who has evaded all attempts…
Zala is a young sheep that lives in the countryside of Slovenia and she LOVES dragons. Her dream is to be one someday, and she sets out on a quest across Slovenia to find a real dragon. Her journey takes her far and wide. She crossed the lake to a medieval town called Radovijica, and then on to Ljubljana and walked along the canals. Images and sculptures of dragons follow her on her journey. Finally, in a cave far away, she finds a creature they call a dragon, and they become fast friends together.
The art has a wonderful and soft watercolor and cut paper feel to it. The story takes the reader across Slovenia and even has a glossary of words in the back. A great and imaginative story for young children.
Zala needs YOUR help in finding the last of the dragons in Slovenia! Do you think she will find the dragon? Do you think she has what it takes to become a dragon too? Do you think you’ll find your own inner dragon along the way?. Legend has it that during medieval times, dragons roamed around Slovenia. Zala goes on a quest around Slovenia in hopes of finding the last of the dragons. As she travels through different areas of Slovenia, she makes a lot of friends, and she learns more about Slovenia than just what she knows from her…
Kragglepus, the dragon, flies over land and sea far above his many friends, who wave happily as he passes. He waves to the hairy monsters, the tree monster, and the sea monster and flies up over the castle into a crazy windstorm through a strange portal and into a strange land with trains and airplanes that knock him from the sky. He falls and falls into a boy’s backyard.
What is this place? Where are all his friends? This is a mostly wordless book told through pictures, perfect for ESL students and pre-readers, and available in English and Japanese.
Mother of Trees is the first book in an epic fantasy series about a dying goddess, a broken world, and a young elf born without magic in a society ruled by it.
When the ancient being that anchors the world’s power begins to fail, the consequences ripple outward—through prophecy, politics,…
The Strange Case of Guaritori Diolco
by
Bill Hiatt,
Guaritori awakens from a coma to find that he's lost twenty years--and his entire world.
Fiancée, family, and friends are all missing, perhaps dead. Technology has failed, and magic has risen, leaving society in ruins. Most survivors are at the mercy of anyone who has strong enough magic. Guaritori has…
