Dragons Are Real!

by Holly Hatam

This sparkly board book offers babies and toddlers a peek into the whimsical world of dragons. Discover what makes them so magical!

Moonlight and courage and sparks, oh my! That's what dragons are made of. Did you know that dragons don't just breathe fire...they sneeze it? Or that they love to barbecue--even their vegetables? Fantasy lovers will be tickled to learn all sorts of "facts" about these Mythical Creatures in Holly Hatam's (#1 New York Times bestselling illustrator) unique new series. Look for Unicorns are Real , too!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dragons, Kids, Fiction, Storytime, Juvenile

26 pages, Board book

First published March 1, 2019

About the author

Holly Hatam is a picture book maker, greeting card designer, and a textile engineer. She is also the #1 New York Times Bestselling illustrator of Dear Girl. Her other books include, Made by Maxine, Tree Song, Jack (Not Jackie) and The Acadia Files. Holly lives in Whitby, Ontario where she can be found hugging trees with her husband Stephen and son Linden, stuffing her pantry full of tea and sticking her nose in a book.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find my full review here: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfic...

This adorable board book brings dragons to life in a very fun way with bright and vivid images and cute vignettes about their lives. Each page features a statement about dragons accompanied by images depicting it, beginning with dragons sneezing fire all the way through their fears (fireworks). The colors pop off the page with lots of bright colors and cartoon dragons.

What I loved: My absolute favorite part of the book is the last page, which says that sometimes dragons need saving and show a princess defending a dragon against a knight. It really turns the whole gendered stereotype on its head in a way that parents can enjoy as they read to their toddlers. The word-to-picture ratio is just perfect, and toddlers will love examining the pictures for all their cute little details. Parents can also get a kick out of the fun phrasing- and the fact that dragons eat their vegetables (after barbequing them, of course).

What left me wanting more: Nothing!

Final thoughts: DRAGONS ARE REAL! is a completely delightful board book which toddlers will love to look through and read. With bright and colorful images alongside fun phrases about dragon lives, this book is an adorable read you can enjoy with a broad range of toddler ages.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learn all about Dragons (fitting since i read it a week before the last season of Game of Thrones....). Did you know they can read, chase lightening bolts and that their eggs are like sparkly gemstones? This is a colorful board book, full of not scary at all dragons. Only downfall...it doesn't have flaps or texture, so wasn't on my little one's favorite list. Ask me again in a year and that might all change.

[Lacy | literary_lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter and I have read ‘Unicorns are Real’, and this book was just as cute. She asked me to read it to her a couple of times, and even said she was going to read it to me.

I also, read this book to my infant, and he loved it. He smiled at the pictures, and I think he loved the bright colors.

This is a very cute book, with colorful illustrations, and simple sentences for younger kids to enjoy. It definitely kept my little ones’ attention.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm less convinced of this than before I read it.

[Lauren Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We've had this board book since before her birth but at 10 months my little one began to really like this one! She seems to really enjoy the fun colors.

*I am trying to update book reviews with information about the age of my child when she engaged with the books*

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and funny presentation of dragons and their magical skills.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Board Book
Brightly colored and fun to read text that shares about dragons everyday life.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holly Hatam, recently known for her artwork in Dear Girl, and Dear Boy (authored by the Rosenthals) has created two new board books that prove, without a doubt, that certain mythical creatures do exist. Each book begins with a list of what the creature is made of, followed by a diagram pointing to which part belongs where. Then the reminder of each book gives the details of what the creature does on a regular basis. I just discovered that Hatham even has Mermaids Are Real! and Fairies Are Real! board books that I’ll have to hunt down SOON!

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Oxford Public Library. I thought it was appropriate, given I checked out Fourth Wing on the same day. 😂

At first, Jack was just lying on the floor and looking at Little Blue Truck books and ignoring me. But I got him interested with the dragon’s sneeze and by commenting on the emotion-colored smoke with dramatic sounds and voices. After that, he sat on his knees and listened intently to the whole book. Dada came in near the end and commented that he hasn’t seen Jack so interested in a new book in a while.

I thought the different dragon characteristics were very cute and quirky. I liked how the princess was protecting the dragon at the end too.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written in such a way that each page keeps the reader anticipating the next fact about dragons. With this element and the colorful illustrations, it makes the book a very fun board book for little readers.

[Laura Aldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute board book about dragons. What they like, don’t like and some of the things they do. It’s well illustrated and makes dragons relatable with things like being afraid of fireworks or needing to clean their scales. Geared for a young audience.

[Kelly]

This book was really cute with great illustrations and a simple sentence of text per two pages mostly. I am hesitant to tell kids that dragons and unicorns and such are real, but since they're board books, they'll mostly be read with caregivers.

[Nancy Messina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is cute. The pictures are fun but there isn’t a whole lot to it. I ended up adding my own words to make it more interesting and keep my daughter excited about this book. For a board book it is probably perfect but since my daughter is a little older more action words were needed.

[Jes Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute little book. It's a really quick read and has vivid, colorful illustrations. These dragons are not scary and love to read, chase lightening bolts and are afraid of fireworks. My son and I love reading it together.

[Olivia Gasca]

Dragons are Real is a very fun book for kids. This book can fuel kids imagination by teaching them all different facts about dragons. This book is very silly and will be sure to get a laugh out of the kids. This is a very lighthearted read that is very exciting to look through.

[Stefanie Foard · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I read a digital ARC of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss.

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a cute book about dragons with nice illustrations to check out from the library

[Valleri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was sooooo adorable! I loved every page and my son loved reading about how funny dragons can be!

[mairead! · Rating 4 out of 5]

A already has this memorized. Need to look into Unicorns are Real, clearly.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable story about dragons. The perfect amount of text for storytime; I just wish it was a bigger book (yet again, another board book I wish was in picture book size).

[Dax · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super colorful and soo cute! The end page is what totally stole my heart though!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute board book with lovely illustrations and fun text. My daughter seems to love the bright colors and playful language, plus I really enjoyed reading it to her:)

[DiAnne Warfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colt ECEC Preschool class room visits week of 02-03-2020

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this board book and how it took the fantasy and added realistic elements. I also loved the ending.

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, but incorrect lore :).

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little book. Illustrations are AWESOME, the story is great, and the size is perfect for little hands.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. The art is cute, but the panels were just not my cup of tea. It is near the bottom of the stack when it comes to picking out a book at bedtime.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very engaging and well-illustrated. I especially liked that the boy knight and the girl princess were both presented as brave sword-fighters.

[Wolfwalker93 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book my son didn't really like it tho

[Rebecca Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute depictions of the things dragons can and like to do.