The Pet Dragon

The Pet Dragon by illustrator and author Christopher Niemann was written in 2008 and is about a little girl named Lin who gets a pet dragon as a gift. Lin and the Dragon play together, do activities that other children would do, and they get into trouble. After breaking a vase, Lin’s father makes the dragon stay in a cage. When Lin goes to the cage the next day, the dragon is gone. After searching everywhere a little old lady who happens to be a witch helps Lin find the dragon after she did a favor for the old lady. When Lin is returned home safely by the dragon, Lin’s father lets the dragon and Lin play together again. While the story is being told, children learn Chinese characters through the illustrations.

I thought the author was very creative in the way he taught children Chinese characters. The book was intriguing, and the illustrations were colorful and cartoon like. I also liked how the book showed a little bit of Chinese culture and how children living in China do the same activities as children living in America. The book is great for young readers, because there are not a lot of words and the Chinese characters are shown in the illustrations and at the bottom of the page. This book can be used in a language arts lesson by having children draw a picture of one of the Chinese characters, such as a tree and then having them write the Chinese character next to the picture. This way students are able to have fun while learning Chinese characters.

The Silver Charm: A Folktale from Japan

The Silver Charm: A Folktale from Japan by Robert D. San Souci and illustrated by Yoriko Ito was published in 2002. This book is for children ages 4-8 and is about a little boy named Satsu, who has a pet fox cub and a puppy. Satsu’s pets are very loyal to him and his family. Before Satsu goes out to play, his mother tells him not to go near the woods, because there is an ogre there that likes to eat disobedient children. Satsu’s father tells him not to lose his good luck charm, which is a tiny silver ship that he wears in a bag hung on a cord around his neck which has been in his father’s family for many years. If he loses this, misfortune will occur. When Satsu goes out to play, his pets come with him, but he wanders off near the woods. He is soon caught by the ogre and he gives the ogre his good luck charm in exchange for not being the ogre’s dinner. As soon as he gives the ogre his silver charm, he becomes ill. His pets have to find a way to get the silver charm back in order for Satsu to get better and survive.

I enjoyed reading this folktale, because I have a pet of my own that is loving and loyal. I think the illustrations are pleasing to look at, because most of them are by the beach or by trees. Children will enjoy looking at the pictures, because most of the characters and animals look friendly and happy. This is a great book for children to read or have read aloud to, because, they can put themselves in Satsu’s shoes, they will want to find out if Satsu will get his silver charm back, and they will want to see if Satsu will get better.

From this book, children learn about the Ainu people, the types of food they eat, what they wear, and words in Japanese. From the events that take place in the book, students learn that they should listen to their mother and father.

Building with Dad

Building with Dad by Carol Nevuis and Illustrations by Bill Thomson was published in 2006. It is narrated by a little boy who tells about his day at work with his father, who is a construction worker. He talks about the machines, the materials being used, and what is being built. The boy lets the reader know that his dad is building a new school which he will atttend.

The characters do not have names, but the illustrations are great! They are colorful and appealing to young children because they are life-like. Some of the illustrations really pop out at you as if you were looking at a picture of a close-up. I think it is a great book for children ages 4-6 because it is easy to read, it rhymes, and they will like that the book is held vertically instead of horizontally. It has to be held vertically because the illustrations take up the length of two pages. It is a great way for children to learn about what construction workers do. They also learn new words and can discuss if they have ever been to work with their mother, father, or another relative. Students can take turns telling their classmates what they want to be when they grow up, and teachers can have a career day where parents or gaurdians come in and tell the class what their job is and what they do. There can also be a dress up area where children can put on clothes and pretend to be a fireman, policeman, construction worker, clown, judge, and more.

The Dragon in the Sock Drawer

The Dragon in the Sock Drawer is written by Kate Klimo. The illustrator is John Shroades This book is a chapter book for children ages 8-12 and it was published in 2008. This is the first book of a series called Dragon Keepers that Klimo is working on.

The book is about ten year old cousins, Jesse and Daisy who find a thunder egg (a geode) when they are on an old volcano with their Uncle Joe, who is a geologist. Once the thunder egg is found, it begins to talk (which only Jesse and Daisy can hear) and with in a few days, it hatches. The cousins find out that what they thought was a geode was really a dragon egg. They now have to learn how to take care of a baby female dragon, which they name Emmy (short for Emerald, because of her green skin). They also have to find a way to protect her from the dragon slayer, Dr. St. George, who has survived for centuries by killing dragons and drinking their blood.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I was not able to put it down! I think children who enjoy fantasy or liked reading the Harry Potter books will enjoy this book and will want to read the whole series. The only thing I did not like about the book was that it left some information unexplained. This could be because it is part of a series and the information will be answered in the next book or books, or it could be that the author was letting the reader decide what happens. I also think this was a great book because may want to learn more information about rocks or geologists. Teachers could use this book to connect a variety of facts about science and explain in further detail what was mentioned in the book. I hope the second book comes out soon.

I Like Me!

I Like Me! by Nancy Carlson was one of my favorite books when I was younger. It is about a girl pig who has high self-esteem and does fun activities that any young child would enjoy. I think this book is encouraging for children ages 3-6. The pictures are great and will make kids laugh. It is a good book for children because it gives them ideas for activities they can do by themselves or with a friend. It also shows them that it is okay to make mistakes. The sentences are short, which makes it a great book for beginning readers. It is also recommended by the ALA.