Sunday, February 28, 2010

Danny the Dragon Review

This past week I received a cute little book to review called Danny the Dragon "Meets Jimmy," by Tina Turbin.  It is currently a finalist for the USA Book News Best Book Awards.


To begin with, I thought the illustrations were adorable (by Aija Jasuna).  The way the publisher printed these cute pictures really enhances the textural appeal of the paper they were originally created on- some sort of linen finish it seems- that just make you want to reach out and feel these pages!

I thought the book was sweet and R-Man definitely enjoyed it (a dragon?  Hello?!).  I liked that the children in the book have very good manners and are helpful- character traits I, of course, want to reinforce with my own kids.  Although I did think that the story felt a bit forced and scattered at times (to be completely honest), I still felt that it did a good job of introducing you to the characters and leaving a very open end to facilitate more books to come.  I also think that because Danny the Dragon can shrink and become very small it allows him to be very relate-able to children.

The Danny the Dragon website (where you can buy the book) is also very nicely put together with contests, information and an opportunity to learn more about the author, Tina Turbin.  You can tell that Tina has really poured herself into the success of this book and has done many readings around the country, including a number of hospitals.  Tina also helps families learn how to cook and eat gluten-free and you can find out more about her on her website as well.

Many thanks to Tina Turbin and Imagination Publishing Group for supplying this book for honest review!

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