Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A small yellow dragon named Roar tries to shake his first-day-of-school jitters in this encouraging story, Durst's (The Girl Who Could Not Dream) first picture book. Luckily, Roar has an older sister, Sparkles, who provides encouragement at every turn-the story charts a standard path as Roar's worries turn out to be unfounded and he enjoys himself at school, playing games, making a new friend, and finding a way to thank his sister. In appealing illustrations that have a bright, crayony roughness, Whitehouse (the Rider Woofson series) has fun bringing Durst's world to life, from a school bus that's itself a giant dragon ("[Sparkles] held his hand through the loop-de-loops") to Roar's school-day activities ("In gym, they played hide-and-seek-the-princess"). Indeed, the lively details of Roar's daily life might be just enough to let readers temporarily forget about their own back-to-school nervousness. Ages 3-6. Agent: Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger. Illustrator's agency: Bright Agency. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Dragon Roar is not looking forward to summer ending; he's nervous about starting school ("what if my teacher is a knight in shining armor...?"). With reassurance from big sister Sparkles, Roar has a great first day and even makes his sister a special picture. Illustrated with goofy cartoons, the story cleverly riffs on typical school goings-on: the dragons play "hide-and-seek-the-princess" in gym, etc. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The bond between a little brother and his big sister helps him tackle his first day of school.Roar is not ready for the summer to be over. The little dragon loves spending time at the beach with his family, especially his older sister, Sparkles. Besides, fall means school, and Roar is very nervous that he will have to do things that he's not so sure he can yet, like breathe fire by himself. Sparkles tries to reassure him, but Roar still worries. On the first day, the sister sweetly takes care of her brother, holding his hand as they ride the school bus (a giant flying dragon!) and walking him to class. Roar's moods quickly morph from worried to happy as he makes a new friend. The school day progresses as it usually does, albeit with some draconic twists, and Roar draws a picture of what he loves most of all: Sparkles, who is there to meet him for the bus ride home. Readers will enjoy the peek at dragon life that Whitehouse provides, from the way Roar's mom roasts the veggies before they come out of the garden to the pesky winged ponies that must be chased off the roof. In the brightly colored illustrations, yellow Roar looks like his father, and orange Sparkles takes after her mother (the female characters have eyelashes). Would that every older child looked after his or her new-to-school younger sibling with such kindness and attention. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
