Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. When a dragon comes to play with a little girl, her father takes them both to the beach. The friendly beast makes one foolhardy mistake after another: charging into the water before a parent gives the OK, diving from the pier without checking the water's depth, and swimming beyond the buoyed ropes into deep water. Thanks to the little girl, her dad, and the lifeguard, the dragon survives his morning at the beach and works up an appetite for their well-stocked picnic basket. Rhyming couplets deliver safety lessons with a playful tone. Bright with fine lines of color, the pencil-crayon artwork has a cartoon look and plenty of entertaining details. After the story ends, two pages provide another rhyme for children, advice for their parents, and a list of a dozen water-safety rules for them to discuss with each other. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A girl and her dragon friend go to the beach with her father and learn water-safety rules as they play at being pirates and finding treasure. The rhyming text works fairly well. Created in pencil crayon, the cartoon illustrations convey the lessons clearly for the most part. However, in one instance, the girl points to a no diving sign and tells her friend not to dive off the dock because of shallow water; then, according to the text, she jumps into the water and stands on her hands to illustrate. The accompanying picture shows her feet sticking straight up out of the water, possibly giving the mistaken impression that she actually dove in. A "Dragon's Water Safety Rhyme" and a safety checklist are included. This offering is on an important topic for which there is a scarcity of easy material. For this reason, it might be considered for purchase, although it's not particularly outstanding in text or art.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This approachable book uses a light touch to teach water safety. When a girl and her dragon friend play and swim at the beach, the dragon breaks a few rules but is steered gently in the right direction. While the pencil-crayon art is engaging, the text tries too hard to rhyme. A helpful checklist for parents is appended. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
