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mat_tobin's review
4.0
I absolutely fell in love with this picturebook before turning the first page. There was something alluring about the bright, bold dragon looking rather confused in contrast to its perky neighbour: a high-heeled child with a wonderful pink-bowed hat holding a lit match perilously close to the its mouth.
What follows is a parodic instruction-manual for ‘how to light your dragon’. Could it be something is blocking the flame? Perhaps cake will make the difference? Whatever the case, the long line of attempts from the child to ignite their pet fails but it matters not because whether there are flames or not, the child loves their pet regardless.
On the surface, this is a story of a child’s unconditional love for their quirky pet but, perhaps deeper, there is a message here about loving yourself too. Hints of LGBT themes are here and a sense of taking pride in yourself no matter if you don’t ‘fit in’ abound.
Whatever your reading of the story, one can only revel in the long landscaped pages which make room for both the dragon and the wonderful, bold typography which smack of fifties advertising slogans. It is a pity that it is unclear who translated this as it’s incredibly sophisticated and maintains so much humour. Here is a story full of spark.
What follows is a parodic instruction-manual for ‘how to light your dragon’. Could it be something is blocking the flame? Perhaps cake will make the difference? Whatever the case, the long line of attempts from the child to ignite their pet fails but it matters not because whether there are flames or not, the child loves their pet regardless.
On the surface, this is a story of a child’s unconditional love for their quirky pet but, perhaps deeper, there is a message here about loving yourself too. Hints of LGBT themes are here and a sense of taking pride in yourself no matter if you don’t ‘fit in’ abound.
Whatever your reading of the story, one can only revel in the long landscaped pages which make room for both the dragon and the wonderful, bold typography which smack of fifties advertising slogans. It is a pity that it is unclear who translated this as it’s incredibly sophisticated and maintains so much humour. Here is a story full of spark.
alicebennett's review
4.0
A vibrant book answering the interesting question - What to do if your dragon's fire goes out? The perfect text for a lively KS1 class to learn about dragons and offers the potential for a debate about how safe dragons are to keep as pets.
mat_tobin's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely fell in love with this picturebook before turning the first page. There was something alluring about the bright, bold dragon looking rather confused in contrast to its perky neighbour: a high-heeled child with a wonderful pink-bowed hat holding a lit match perilously close to the its mouth.
What follows is a parodic instruction-manual for ‘how to light your dragon’. Could it be something is blocking the flame? Perhaps cake will make the difference? Whatever the case, the long line of attempts from the child to ignite their pet fails but it matters not because whether there are flames or not, the child loves their pet regardless.
On the surface, this is a story of a child’s unconditional love for their quirky pet but, perhaps deeper, there is a message here about loving yourself too. Hints of LGBT themes are here and a sense of taking pride in yourself no matter if you don’t ‘fit in’ abound.
Whatever your reading of the story, one can only revel in the long landscaped pages which make room for both the dragon and the wonderful, bold typography which smack of fifties advertising slogans. It is a pity that it is unclear who translated this as it’s incredibly sophisticated and maintains so much humour. Here is a story full of spark.
What follows is a parodic instruction-manual for ‘how to light your dragon’. Could it be something is blocking the flame? Perhaps cake will make the difference? Whatever the case, the long line of attempts from the child to ignite their pet fails but it matters not because whether there are flames or not, the child loves their pet regardless.
On the surface, this is a story of a child’s unconditional love for their quirky pet but, perhaps deeper, there is a message here about loving yourself too. Hints of LGBT themes are here and a sense of taking pride in yourself no matter if you don’t ‘fit in’ abound.
Whatever your reading of the story, one can only revel in the long landscaped pages which make room for both the dragon and the wonderful, bold typography which smack of fifties advertising slogans. It is a pity that it is unclear who translated this as it’s incredibly sophisticated and maintains so much humour. Here is a story full of spark.
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