by Jodi Moore & illustrated by Howard McWilliam ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011
Doesn’t every child want a dragon? Well, "[i]f you build the perfect sandcastle, a dragon will move in," and in this funny and creative riff on cause and effect, that's exactly what happens. At first, things are perfect: You have a friend to play with, a permanent bully deterrent, a built-in marshmallow toaster and an ever-present raft. But then things start to get complicated. You have to feed the dragon and clean up after him—and no one will believe you when you explain that the dragon is the one to blame. Was that a dragon-ish cackle coming from inside the sandcastle? Be careful what you wish for! Colorful, cartoony illustrations brim with humor as they depict this animated boy and the impish dragon who may or may not entirely exist. The deadpan text is sure to illicit giggles as it captures the conundrum of an imaginary friend with a child's eye and provides a gentle acceptance of the mild misbehavior that sometimes accompanies imaginative play. Oh, well. Maybe it's time to get rid of the dragon, as long as you are polite about it. But if you build another perfect sandcastle, perhaps he'll come back (with friends) tomorrow. A sandy complement to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-979974-67-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flashlight Press
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
More by Jodi Moore
BOOK REVIEW
by Jodi Moore ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam
by Christopher Denise ; illustrated by Christopher Denise ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2022
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
GET IT
Kirkus Reviews'
Best Books Of 2022
New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
Caldecott Honor
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Christopher Denise ; illustrated by Christopher Denise
More by Christopher Denise
BOOK REVIEW
by Christopher Denise ; illustrated by Christopher Denise
BOOK REVIEW
by Anitra Rowe Schulte ; illustrated by Christopher Denise
BOOK REVIEW
by Maryrose Wood ; illustrated by Christopher Denise
More About This Book
by Rebecca Elliott ; illustrated by Rebecca Elliott ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 26, 2019
A surprisingly nuanced lesson set in confidence-building, easy-to-decode text.
A unicorn learns a friendship lesson in this chapter-book series opener.
Unicorn Bo has friends but longs for a “bestie.” Luckily, a new unicorn pops into existence (literally: Unicorns appear on especially starry nights) and joins Bo at the Sparklegrove School for Unicorns, where they study things like unicorn magic. Each unicorn has a special power; Bo’s is granting wishes. Not knowing what his own might be distresses new unicorn Sunny. When the week’s assignment is to earn a patch by using their unicorn powers to help someone, Bo hopes Sunny will wish to know Bo's power (enabling both unicorns to complete the task, and besides, Bo enjoys Sunny’s company and wants to help him). But when the words come out wrong, Sunny thinks Bo was feigning friendship to get to grant a wish and earn a patch, setting up a fairly sophisticated conflict. Bo makes things up to Sunny, and then—with the unicorns friends again and no longer trying to force their powers—arising circumstances enable them to earn their patches. The cheerful illustrations feature a sherbet palette, using patterns for texture; on busy pages with background colors similar to the characters’ color schemes, this combines with the absence of outlines to make discerning some individual characters a challenge. The format, familiar to readers of Elliott’s Owl Diaries series, uses large print and speech bubbles to keep pages to a manageable amount of text.
A surprisingly nuanced lesson set in confidence-building, easy-to-decode text. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-32332-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More by Rebecca Elliott
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
by Rebecca Elliott ; illustrated by Rebecca Elliott
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.