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The Different Dragon Review
User Submitted The Different Dragon ReviewsSeptember 22, 2008 Great Lesson for Kids This is just one of those great books that reflect families beyond the one mother, one father, 2.4 children construction. In addition to giving children a storybook family that may reflect their own, it's an imaginative story about a dragon who just doesn't want to gnash his teeth and breathe fire anymore. The book is told as a bedtime story by one of Noah's two mothers. She weaves a tale where Noah and his cat, Diva, go on an adventure and run into a dragon who is tired of being one-dimensional. The dragon admits that it's exhausting being mean, but no one wants a dragon to be nice or fun. Noah, of course, informs him that it really is within the dragon's power to decide how he wants to be. We constantly tell our kids that we want them "to be nice because they can be and not mean because they can be" and we often talk about how you behave with other people is completely within your control. So we loved this book. And if you have a two-mother household, this book additionally allows your child to see his/her family life mirrored in the storybook. A good book for every bookshelf. Age range: more text on each page making it a better book for three and up. September 15, 2008 Pretty good buy This a cute book, that I enjoy reading to my boys. They, however, aren't all that interested. They are only 2.5 and about 3.5 years old, so it may be a little ahead of their level. They prefer books that flow/rhyme well and this one doesn't. It's basically just a mom telling a story to her son. I think they'll enjoy it when they get older, especially once they can read it themselves. Overall, it was a good buy and I do recommend it if your child likes stories and doesn't care if they rhyme or not. June 8, 2008 Love it Three cheers to the authors for giving us a different--and most wonderful--bedtime story to read. Like prejudice, tolerance is also a learned behavior, and this book opens many doors for parent-child discussions. January 7, 2008 Excellent! I loved this book. The story and the illustrations are beautiful. It's one of my new favorites. March 14, 2007 A book for all families This is an enchanting book of adventure and storytelling. Noah and his mother Go-Ma weave a tale of a boy in search of excitement and a dragon who doesn't want to be fierce anymore. The author knows exactly how parents and young children tell stories, with input from the child driving the narration. The fact that Noah has two moms is incidental to the main story. The book is inclusive without being preachy, and shows two moms as just another part of some children's families. All families with young children (preschool and early elementary) should read The Different Dragon for its magical tale and colorful, full-age illustrations. The fact that it celebrates difference--of both the dragon and Noah's family--is an added bonus. March 7, 2007 A wonderful book My children loved this story, especially the dragon who didn't want to be fierce anymore. I also loved this beautifully written and exquisitely illustrated bedtime story and as a "straight" mom, found it refreshing to read a story to my children through the eyes of a boy with two mothers. Reading stories such as this will help to reinforce the fact that no matter what type of family one lives in, one with two moms, two dads, with a single parent or a mom and a dad, the important thing is that we love our children. In today's world, the reality is that my children have friends in their classes who come from non-traditional families and we need to reinforce to them that in this diverse world, we are all okay. February 4, 2007 A soft-stated yet groundbreaking picturebook. Written by psychologist Jennifer Bryan and beautifully illustrated by animal lover and knitting wizard Danamarie Hosler, The Different Dragon is a softcover picturebook intended for children ages 3-8, about a boy who learns a lesson about character and expectations during storytime. When young Noah gets ready for bed, he wants to hear a bedtime story with a sailboat in it, as well as his beloved cat Diva, and best of all, a fierce and ferocious dragon! But as the story progresses, Noah feels that the dragon is crying, because the dragon just can't be terrifying anymore. "It's a lot of pressure to be fierce all the time. All that roaring and gnashing of teeth and snorting fire. It's a lot of work to scare people and be so mean. And nobody ever wants a dragon to be funny or sad or just regular. There's only one way for a dragon to be and that's that." Noah befriends the dragon, and shows him that he can do other things than be fierce and terrible - like play badminton or share ice cream. The Different Dragon is published by Two Lives Publishing, the only publisher of children's books expressly intended for kids in LGBT families; and so it happens that young Noah has two mothers, one who helps him get ready for bed (though he needs only a little help) and Go-Ma, who invents the tale about The Different Dragon along with him. Noah's family (consisting of two mothers, a younger sister, two cats, a gerbil, and some fish) are presented as simply a normal part of his life, and not the central focus of the tale. A soft-stated yet groundbreaking picturebook. December 15, 2006 A bedtime story reminds us all to be ourselves After some exposition about the craziness of bedtime in a house with two moms, two kids and various pets, one mother and her not-so-little son settle in for a story. As Momma puts toddler Claire to bed, Go-Ma and Noah weave a tale about a boy who advises a dragon on following his dreams instead of feeling that he has to be fierce all the time. It's a great message, delivered by believable characters in a lesbian-parented family. The new book from Two Lives Publishing, which focuses on material for LGBT folks and our families, features charming illustrations by Danamarie Hosler. The dragon is charming, not too scary. November 9, 2006 A Different Picture Book As a children's librarian in diverse Brooklyn, NY, I want children to find themselves in books, no matter who they are. This picture book not only gently pushes the idea that differences are positive--different families, different kinds of strength, different kinds of boys--but pushes the idea through the words of a "very smart, not-so-little boy" named Noah, proving once again that children have the insight, if only we will listen to them. Children will love the bright illustrations and the lovable characters, and adults will help draw out the deeper messages. A perfect book to share at bedtime. For more The Different Dragon reviews click here.
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