Once Upon a Dragon: Stranger Safety for Kids

Dragon Safety Books

by Jean E. Pendziwol, Martine Gourbault (Illustrator)

After a thump-bumping ride on a slide, a little girl and her dragon friend find themselves inside a fairy-tale book. The stories are familiar, and there's lots of silly fun as the dragon is transformed into fairy-tale characters. But danger lurks in the form of strangers -- including the hungry wolf from "Little Red Riding Hood" and Snow White's evil stepmother. And it's up to the girl to keep an eye on the dragon, who walks alone through deep dark woods and takes treats from people he doesn't know. Little by little, the girl teaches her irrepressible friend to be careful about strangers. The winning combination of fairy-tale adventure and concrete safety information -- including the Dragon's Stranger Safety Rhyme and the checklist of rules at the end of the book -- provide the perfect starting point for discussions with children about stranger safety.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dragons

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Jean E. Pendziwol is an award winning Canadian author of books for adults and children. Her children’s books include Governor General Literary Award and TD Canadian Children's Literature Award winner Skating Wild on an Inland Sea (Groundwood Books, ill. Todd Stewart), and the bestselling No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons) (Kids Can Press), which continues to be used as a valuable resource for teaching fire safety. Her debut adult novel, The Lightkeeper’s Daughters was published by HarperCollins and is available in 20 other countries and 16 languages around the world. She lives in the shadow of the Nor’Wester Mountains near Lake Superior and draws inspiration for her stories from the rich history, culture and geography of northwestern Ontario, Canada.

Jean's adult work is represented by Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency and her children's work by Olga Filina of 5 Otter Literary.

Reviews

[Jaidee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 "don't talk to stranger" stars !!!

This sweet and informative little book came in my McHappy Meal today and initially I was disappointed that I didn't get a Hello Kitty Toy (yes I love Hello Kitty !!) but this was a really nice surprise !!

This book is suitable for kids 4 to 7. It is a about a little boy and his dragon buddy that get lost in a storybook and bump into well-known villains from nursery rhymes and fairy tales. The silly dragon always wants to go with the Big Bad Wolf or eat the apple from the Evil Queen but the little boy has more sense and rescues the dragon several times.

I liked the premise and the message with the writing being so-so (but fun) and pretty good illustrations.

There are also dos and donts at the back of the book with some fun activities (keeping with the theme) for kids 6 and 7 !!

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book on safety from strangers with a fun, fairy tale twist. CHildren can easily recognize the stories mentioned and they create good safety discussions, in a simple, easy to understand manner.

[Mario Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that it is great to see instructional books in the form of animations for children, as children are more likely to listen to someone speak about stranger safety if the exposure is presented in a kid-friendly manner, as such is the case here with this book. I just read another book by Jean E. Pendziwol called "No Dragons for Tea," and I noticed that the same dragon that is in this book is also in the one I just described. I like when authors do this, because kids notice and remember these characters in a positive light. If I forgot to mention this about the other book, I will make sure to mention it here: the illustrations are awesome and very colorful.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book references numerous fairy tales which the characters successfully avoid (eg. The evil queen from Snow White offering an apple) so children already familiar with the fairy tale will know what the danger was. All danger happens when the characters are inside a book of fairy tales and is successfully avoided. Equates a police officer as a good fairy to ask for assistance.

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book to my children. It teaching them about not talking to strangers.

[Sydney Humphress · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this book has a lot to offer to children. Not only does it hone in on some of the classic fairy tales, it teaches the valuable lesson of being careful and aware of your surroundings!

[Angel Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an amazing tool in introducing to young children how to deal with strangers. The use of fairy tale characters is very useful and the rhyming in the book makes it engaging to listen to.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this clever little book, it’s charming illustrations and that it’s in rhyme!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the theme of stranger safety, but I also think it's a bit too subtle.

All in all, a very nice book.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This exceeded expectations. I thought it would be boring because it was busy teaching safety, but the way they used the fairytales to tell the safety rules was great.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to introduce the topic of stranger safety for kids through telling a story rather than a mini-info book for kids. It does it in a fun, rhyming way that goes along with the fairy tales traditional "bad guys." It's bright and colorful with beautiful pages that keep the attention of kid and adult alike. It has an info page in the back to continue deeper conversations with kids, as it is just a children's book that isn't meant to scare or go too deep.

[Dewi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragon dan si gadis cilik terjebak di dalam aneka dongeng. Mereka berjalan dari bab pertama sampai akhir cerita. Ada serigala, penyihir, tiga babi kecil, si rambut emas, ibu peri dan mahluk-mahluk lain yang menawarkan makanan serta bantuan. Siapakah yang dapat mereka percaya?
Buku ini memberikan tips bagaimana menghadapi orang asing. Tidak semua orang berbahaya, namun anak tetap harus waspada. Ada sajak pendek di bagian akhir buku yang bisa menjadi petunjuk keselamatan saat bertemu orang asing.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story of little boy and his friend , a dragon go to the park. His dragon friend takes a book with him. Well the little boy thinks they end up into the story because they encounter danger in the woods on their walk with all the dangerous charaters from some popular fairy tales. Good book to use for fractured fairy tale unit or stranger safety for children.

[Jessica Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute way to teach safety to young children! A boy and his dragon friend are playing on the playground and end up in a storybook where they stay away from strangers along the way. It will catch students attention because it rhymes and it incorporates many different fairy tales that they can relate to.

[Whole And · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clever book. A story within a story, children will love visiting a number of classic fairy tales with dragon and his friend. All the while learning very important life saving stranger safety skills.

The end of the book provides further direction for teaching stranger safety to children.

This book is effective, fun and potentially life saving.

[Tasha Sylvester · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book that helped us rienforce some safety rules with our girls. Ally loves this book because of the dragon and all it's silliness. She always says she doesn't like dragons because they are mean but she likes this dragon.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved that they incorporated different fairy tales and the safety lessons that can be learned from them. Reading this out loud presented a great opportunity to bring up dangerous situations in real life.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about stranger danger is good, although I think the lesson might be lost for some children because of the way it is housed in fairy tale settings. However, it does open the doors for good conversation about stranger danger between parents and children.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a clever way to help children beward of strangers without scaring them. And the child in the story is the one who has to teach his dragon friend to be careful, by not accepting candy, not getting into a stranger's car, etc. Very nice illustrations in pencil crayon.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A girl and a Dragon are playing at the park when they lose control on the twisty slide - and slide right into Dragon's book of fairy tales! A fun, rhyming read-aloud that gives a nod to some fairy tale favorites and ends with a lesson in stranger safety.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too text heavy for storytime, but the rhymes are nice. The best part is that they fall into a book and use the stranger danger concept to get out of trouble in fairy tales.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review: https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/200...

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Best kids book I've read since The Paper Bag Princess.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story to get the point across that you should be careful around strangers.

[Ronna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever review of fairy tales intertwined with the moral or stranger safety!