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The Bakery Dragon #1
The Bakery Dragon
The heroic tale of a tiny dragon with a heart of gold and a taste for treats! A scrumptious picture book for fans of funny fairytales and fantastic beasts.
Ember has always been different from the other dragons. His fearsome roar sounds more like a polite sneeze, and when he breathes fire, the villagers just pat his head and say awwww.
Ember fears he’ll never collect a respectable hoard of gold until a chance encounter with a baker causes his fortunes to turn (and his stomach to grumble). As the little dragon soon discovers, the gold you make is way better than the gold you steal—and gold that is shared? That’s best of all.
Magic shimmers on every page of Devin Elle Kurtz's feel-good picture book that celebrates baked goods, dragons, and generosity in equal measure. Filled with adorable illustrations, this is a perfect read aloud for bedtime or brunchtime!
Ember has always been different from the other dragons. His fearsome roar sounds more like a polite sneeze, and when he breathes fire, the villagers just pat his head and say awwww.
Ember fears he’ll never collect a respectable hoard of gold until a chance encounter with a baker causes his fortunes to turn (and his stomach to grumble). As the little dragon soon discovers, the gold you make is way better than the gold you steal—and gold that is shared? That’s best of all.
Magic shimmers on every page of Devin Elle Kurtz's feel-good picture book that celebrates baked goods, dragons, and generosity in equal measure. Filled with adorable illustrations, this is a perfect read aloud for bedtime or brunchtime!
42 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2024
8 people are currently reading
2706 people want to read
About the author
Devin Elle Kurtz
7 books93 followersDevin Elle Kurtz lives in San Diego, California, with her dog, Kira, and her thirty-three houseplants. She’s been painting in Photoshop since the age of two when her artist mom first offered her a tablet pen. She was the lead background painter on the TV show “Disenchantment” at Rough Draft Studios from 2019-2021. The Bakery Dragon is her first picture book as an author-illustrator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 624 reviews
January 29, 2026
"There's nothing a dragon loves more than gold. And Ember the dragon was no exception."Ember is a little dragon who wants a hoard to guard.
All of the bigger dragons have beautiful gold, jewels and other riches (the villagers also hate the other dragons but that's beside the point).
Ember finally decides that enough is enough and he will get a hoard of his own...only things don't go to plan.
Exhausted, Ember decides to curl up in front of the bakery window just as a horrible storm rolls in. The baker takes pity on him and invites Ember in.
"He wandered the darkening streets, drawn toward a golden glow from around the corner. But it was only a window."
And because the baker has stuff to do, she decides to invite Ember to help.
Ember soon learns that some treasures are more precious than gold.
"Why don't you come give me a hand."
This is such a beautiful book. I thought the story was rather sweet and Ember was a charming little dragon.
What really stood out for me was the artwork. The author did such an amazing job with the illustrations and the color pallet. Love love love!
I would definitely recommend this one!
February 6, 2024
Me, an adult woman, tearing up on a random Tuesday afternoon over a children's picture book about a dragon who learns to bake? More likely than you think. 😅😭🐲
Sidenote: The art is breathtaking. It feels more detailed and enchanting than a Disney movie, what is that?!
Sidenote: The art is breathtaking. It feels more detailed and enchanting than a Disney movie, what is that?!
May 21, 2025
YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM
Qué cosa tan CUQUÉRRIMA.
Está recomendado a partir de 3 años, pero desafío a cualquier adulto a no enamorarse como mínimo de las ilustraciones y a no enternecerse con la historia de Ember.
Una historia sobre el valor de compartir y sobre valorar un poco menos las cosas materiales y un poco más los placeres sencillos (como el pan), además de las propias fortalezas (por mucho que no sean las que supuestamente debes tener).
Te deja el corazón calentito y con muchas ganas de abastecerte de dulces deliciosos.
Qué cosa tan CUQUÉRRIMA.
Está recomendado a partir de 3 años, pero desafío a cualquier adulto a no enamorarse como mínimo de las ilustraciones y a no enternecerse con la historia de Ember.
Una historia sobre el valor de compartir y sobre valorar un poco menos las cosas materiales y un poco más los placeres sencillos (como el pan), además de las propias fortalezas (por mucho que no sean las que supuestamente debes tener).
Te deja el corazón calentito y con muchas ganas de abastecerte de dulces deliciosos.
November 27, 2024
Adorable, more working-class dragons please.
October 3, 2024
Just adorable! I'd hire Ember to be my baking assistant, too.
January 27, 2025
Everyone needs cute dragons in their life.
October 5, 2024
I've been following this artist for a while and loved the cover illustration - which I think is the most popular art they've posted online? If I remember that correctly.
Weirdly, though, I kinda didn't love the character design once it was applied to a whole book. It, like the story itself, was cute but a bit bland.
It's a simple plot, of course, since it's a picture book. A little dragon named Ember is jealous of the other dragons' golden hoards and asks how to get his own. Unfortunately, when he tries to imitate their methods - breathing fire at humans and chasing them until they shed their gold - he turns out to be too weak and small to intimidate them. They just say "aw, cute" and ignore him.
(Realistically, I'd think they would treat him more like a baby bear, with a fear of (a) him growing up into a big scary dragon (b) having a big scary dragon parent nearby.)
Anyway, this little dragon who doesn't seem to actually have any family or connections to other baby dragons his age sees some golden light and follows it, only to wind up sleeping in front of a bakery window. When it starts storming, the baker lady invites him indoors. When he sees the golden loaves of bread, he realizes this can be his treasure, and helps her out, then carries a bag of his baked goods home.
At first, I thought...that's not going to be very satisfying when the golden pile he's lying on molds. But he eats one of the loaves, and then the other dragons come along and decide they also prefer gold that tastes good. So they follow Ember back to the bakery and exchange their stolen gold for baked goods.
I guess I'm not even sure what the moral of the story was supposed to be. Sharing is better...you should work for your money...etc. But with the piles of gold heaped on the streets outside the bakery, I'm wondering how this little village was so massively wealthy to begin with. And what happens when these massive dragons use up all their stolen gold and still need the baker lady to keep buying them more ingredients to bake enough to fill their bellies...
Also what happens when Ember grows up? I think it would've been more interesting to have a timeskip with him as a full-sized dragon who's still running a bakery and serving the other dragons or something along those lines. Reminded me a bit of a Serendipity book, like Persnickity , but a less successful one. Most kids probably won't think about it that deeply, though - it's a bright, colorful, easy-to-read cute little story.
Weirdly, though, I kinda didn't love the character design once it was applied to a whole book. It, like the story itself, was cute but a bit bland.
It's a simple plot, of course, since it's a picture book. A little dragon named Ember is jealous of the other dragons' golden hoards and asks how to get his own. Unfortunately, when he tries to imitate their methods - breathing fire at humans and chasing them until they shed their gold - he turns out to be too weak and small to intimidate them. They just say "aw, cute" and ignore him.
(Realistically, I'd think they would treat him more like a baby bear, with a fear of (a) him growing up into a big scary dragon (b) having a big scary dragon parent nearby.)
Anyway, this little dragon who doesn't seem to actually have any family or connections to other baby dragons his age sees some golden light and follows it, only to wind up sleeping in front of a bakery window. When it starts storming, the baker lady invites him indoors. When he sees the golden loaves of bread, he realizes this can be his treasure, and helps her out, then carries a bag of his baked goods home.
At first, I thought...that's not going to be very satisfying when the golden pile he's lying on molds. But he eats one of the loaves, and then the other dragons come along and decide they also prefer gold that tastes good. So they follow Ember back to the bakery and exchange their stolen gold for baked goods.
I guess I'm not even sure what the moral of the story was supposed to be. Sharing is better...you should work for your money...etc. But with the piles of gold heaped on the streets outside the bakery, I'm wondering how this little village was so massively wealthy to begin with. And what happens when these massive dragons use up all their stolen gold and still need the baker lady to keep buying them more ingredients to bake enough to fill their bellies...
Also what happens when Ember grows up? I think it would've been more interesting to have a timeskip with him as a full-sized dragon who's still running a bakery and serving the other dragons or something along those lines. Reminded me a bit of a Serendipity book, like Persnickity , but a less successful one. Most kids probably won't think about it that deeply, though - it's a bright, colorful, easy-to-read cute little story.
February 16, 2025
The Bakery Dragon has literally no right to be this cute. The story follows a dragon who is too little and cute to be effective at stealing gold and pillaging the countryside, but he's just the right amount of cute to learn to earn his gold by baking delicious bread thanks to the help of a local baker. The illustrations are adorable, and the layout is a mix of picture book and comic, with some speech bubbles and paneling that are very appealing on the eye. I saw there's an anticipated sequel for this, and I genuinely look forward to reading that. I recommend this one for sure, and I hope I get to read it with my niblings some time because I think they would love this.
June 24, 2025
Oh my word, this was soooo cute!! 😍 I love the illustration style and the little dragon is so sweet.
May 11, 2025
This book was on my TBR for months and finally I got around and got it with a Christmas gift card!! Guys, it’s sooooooo amazing. You can feel the warmth, taste the bread and hear the crust! I loved everything about it! A beautiful book for children of about 6-10 but also a heartwarming story that can be enjoyed by adults as it is about valuing the strengths you have and sharing love and care with those around you.
October 4, 2025
I see why this book has won awards and topped kids reading lists! We borrowed our copy from the local library and now want to go buy one for the home library. The artwork is gorgeous and the story is perfect. We’re reading it in the mornings and at bedtime. Looking forward to the release of the fairy cake installment.
December 5, 2024
Very cute, fun art, a solid story. Made me smile.
January 22, 2026
⭐️4.5 stars
May 19, 2024
I don't normally add the picture books I read to GoodReads, but this one was too cute not to share.
A tiny dragon learns how to bake - need I say more?
I'm sure I don't have to tell you it's gorgeously illustrated. I mean, just look at that cover!
A tiny dragon learns how to bake - need I say more?
I'm sure I don't have to tell you it's gorgeously illustrated. I mean, just look at that cover!
October 29, 2024
Adorable
November 15, 2024
Such a sweet story with lovely illustrations. Would recommend to young or old, 5/5. Love Ember!
January 30, 2025
I read this little gem during my final shift at the bookstore and it was so cute!!! So adorable!!!! I wish i could inject the art style into my brain
June 4, 2025
ES LA COSA MÁS CUQUI DEL MUNDO MUNDIAL
August 15, 2025
Kind of obsessed with the art
December 27, 2025
Around this time last year, I got a bit into reading spooky children's picture books and I think maybe I want to go keep that as a tradition even if finding spooky ones can be a bit difficult. In a bind, dragons will work for me, too. Especially when it additionally incorporates my other big passion that is not books: Baking!
This is cute, adorable and stunning looking. Calling baked breads gold is exactly what I am all about so I can truly identify with this little dragon. I loved how the art work incorporated this warm glow and shimmer for anything gold, so cozy and gorgeous looking. It's a beautiful story of finding your true calling even when everyone else around you is following the traditional path. If I had kids, this would be a no-brainer but even without kids I am considering checking out the second one from my library.
What a joyous way to get some reading in on Christmas Eve, I mean who has time to read a full sized story while cooking and baking for the Holidays? Not me. (And maybe there is gonna be a Christmas baking volume in the future of this series???? Just a suggestion, wink wink!)
This is cute, adorable and stunning looking. Calling baked breads gold is exactly what I am all about so I can truly identify with this little dragon. I loved how the art work incorporated this warm glow and shimmer for anything gold, so cozy and gorgeous looking. It's a beautiful story of finding your true calling even when everyone else around you is following the traditional path. If I had kids, this would be a no-brainer but even without kids I am considering checking out the second one from my library.
What a joyous way to get some reading in on Christmas Eve, I mean who has time to read a full sized story while cooking and baking for the Holidays? Not me. (And maybe there is gonna be a Christmas baking volume in the future of this series???? Just a suggestion, wink wink!)
January 7, 2026
Es narrativo pero tiene partes con bocadillos de cómics y otras en las que la ilustración es lo que cuenta la historia. Me parece muy curioso y da mucho juego al leérselo a alguien.
January 1, 2026
¡Menuda cucada!
Un dragoncito pequeñito que quiere tener tanto oro como sus iguales, pero él es tan adorable que no asusta a nadie. Así que, una panadera le enseña a hacer su oro particular...
Edad: para los más peques de la casa.
Un dragoncito pequeñito que quiere tener tanto oro como sus iguales, pero él es tan adorable que no asusta a nadie. Así que, una panadera le enseña a hacer su oro particular...
Edad: para los más peques de la casa.
December 31, 2025
Brb, sappily crying into my bagels.
January 1, 2026
Unparalleled story of dragon bakery greatness.
February 20, 2025
Actual rating: 4.5. Well this was just delightful. Cute story (with a nice little lesson at the end), and the illustrations are so /warm/ and charming. Lively, too-- it felt like stepping into an animated film. Very glad I randomly found this one at the library
July 19, 2025
This was adorable and the illustrations are so warm and rich! Plus I love that the baker is a curvy redhead!
I read this sitting in the kitchen while my fiancé shapes homemade soft pretzels!
2025 Staff Summer Reading Challenge
- Read a book recommended by a coworker (Stephanie)
I read this sitting in the kitchen while my fiancé shapes homemade soft pretzels!
2025 Staff Summer Reading Challenge
- Read a book recommended by a coworker (Stephanie)
October 15, 2024
Adorable! And beautifully illustrated!
November 18, 2024
Age range: 3+
Beautiful illustrations!!!
Beautiful illustrations!!!
December 10, 2024
Adorable.
His little paws. 🥹
All the golden bread. I would, also, like to hoard baked goods please and thank you ✨
His little paws. 🥹
All the golden bread. I would, also, like to hoard baked goods please and thank you ✨
December 11, 2024
Moral of the story : gold < bread 🐉
Displaying 1 - 30 of 624 reviews