Once upon a time, a little girl named Lily met a dragon… This was the answer to the bedtime request of “Daddy, will you tell me a story?” and the start of a nightly adventure to Animal Island with a dragon. Lily now loves dragons so much so she has requested a dragon themed birthday party. We’ve been reading and playing all things dragon, so today I wanted to share our favorite dragon books with you.
Favorite Dragon Books for Kids
Dragons and Marshmallows (Zoey and Sassafras) by Asia Citro – I’m topping the list with the first book in the Zoey and Sassafras series. We were sent a review copy of this book and my whole family is in love. It was the perfect read aloud chapter book for us – both my [almost] 3 year old daughter and 7 year old son were captivated by the story. It’s also an awesome chapter book for newly independent readers (considered a 2nd grade reading level).
Zoey finds out that she can see magical creatures just like her mom. In Dragons and Marshmallows, a sick baby dragon needs Zoey’s help. With her pet cat by her side, Zoey uses science to determine how to treat the dragon. She sets up an experiment to see what the baby dragon eats. He loves marshmallows! Unfortunately, feeding him marshmallows did not solve the problem. This calls for more research and more science. Set up your own food science experiment like Zoey.
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin – Remember how I said my daughter wants a dragon party for her 3rd birthday? Since dragons love tacos (and so does Lily), we’re having a taco party. To make the dragons happy, we need to have only mild salsa. If they get even a little spicy salsa, we’re all in trouble! See the Dragons Love Tacos birthday party here.
Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel is also a favorite of ours. There are no more tacos left in the whole world. What will the dragons do?! Travel back in time and try to fix things of course. As long as there’s no spicy salsa to get in the way, they should be fine… Check out our straw rockets inspired by the book and help the dragons land on the moon.
Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light – Follow a little boy through the city as he searches for his dragon. Count colorful objects along the way. Can you find the dragon hiding on each page? My kids love searching for him throughout the different cityscapes.
Spark by Kallie George – I picked this book up at the library because of the adorable dragon on the cover. The story was cute as well. Spark is a young dragon who is learning to control his fiery breath. He is not very successful. His parents keep encouraging him and tell him it will be easier when he is older. When it’s time to light the candles on Spark’s birthday cake, he tries again – this time without burning everything in site. Spark is the first book in the early reader Tiny Tails series about magical creatures.
Lovabye Dragon by Barbara Joosse – A girl wishes for a dragon while a dragon dreams of a girl. The girl cries and her tears flow all the way to the dragon’s cave. The dragon follows the path of the tears and finds the girl. The pair become best of friends. The story seems a bit simplistic but the illustrations draw you in. My daughter really likes this one, too.
Evermore Dragon is the sequel to Lovabye Dragon. The girl and the dragon are playing hide and seek. The dragon is super easy to find. The girl, on the other hand, finds a hiding place that’s too good and too far away that the dragon can’t find her. The girl becomes lost in the night and doesn’t know how to return. Dragon hears her beating heart and breathes fire to light up the sky for her. “Evermore, evermore, I am here,” the dragon tells the girl.
Dear Dragon: A Pen Pal Tale by Josh Funk – George and Blaise become pen pals for a school project. Reluctant writers at first, they begin to enjoy writing to each other and tell each other everything – well almost everything. George is a human and Blaise is a dragon. What happens when these two friends finally meet face to face at the pen pal picnic? This story is a great reminder that physical differences and outward appearances shouldn’t keep people (and dragons) from being friends.
There’s a Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher reminds me a little of There’s a Monster at the End of the Book with its page turning antics. The story begins with an egg and a warning not to turn the page. The reader never listens, so of course we turn the page and find a baby dragon has hatched out of the egg. Follow the directions in the book and before you know it, your book is on fire! Don’t worry, the author has a plan. Kids will have fun with this book for sure.
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett – This was the very first chapter book series we read to Aiden when he was 4. He loved listening to part of the story each night. It was a wonderful introduction to chapter books for him. I’m looking forward to reading the series again with Lily. You can also get all 3 stories in the series in one book – Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon.
Would You Rather Be a Princess or a Dragon? by Barney Saltzberg – This book contrasts the behaviors of a princess (dainty and proper) with that of a dragon (dragony and wild). The end of the books shows the princess tossing away her crown to dance on the dragon’s tail. “Because inside every princess is a little dragon child.” And inside every dragon… “there’s princess waiting to come out.” The last page shows the princess climbing out of the dragon’s mouth. We enjoyed the simple illustrations of the book and its playful message.
It Came in the Mail by Ben Clanton – While this story is not exactly about dragons, a dragon does have a prominent place. Liam really wants to receive some mail, so he writes a letter to his mailbox asking for some. What he receives in return starts with a dragon. He gets so many packages that he doesn’t know what to do with them all. He eventually realizes that things are better when they’re shared.
Want even more recommendations for dragon books? Check out What Do We Do All Day’s list of 28 dragon picture and chapter books.
Do you have any favorite dragon books to add to our list? Tell me about them in the comments.
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