No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids {and Dragons}

Dragon Safety Books

by Jean E. Pendziwol, Martine Gourbault (Illustrator)

While out for a walk with her mom, a little girl has the surprise of her life --- she meets a real, live, fire-breathing dragon! Now this dragon is nothing to be afraid of --- in fact, he’s so friendly that she invites him home for tea. But their afternoon snack is suddenly interrupted when the dragon sneezes and sets the table ablaze. Luckily, the girl knows just what to do, and she teaches her new friend to be fire smart, too. With its funny, rhyming verse and spunky illustrations, Dragons for Tea shows kids that learning about fire safety doesn’t have to be scary. The story ends with “The Dragon’s Fire Safety Rhyme” --- a fun and easy way to remember what to do in case of fire.

Genres: Picture Books, Dragons, Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Fantasy, Education

32 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 1998

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

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Visiting my two nephews ages 4 and 2. This rating and review is based on what my 4 year old nephew told me after reading.

"I really liked the pictures of the dragon. I thought it was funny when he sneezed. But there were too many words. I don't like books with lots of words. "

I had to ask him what he learned about fire safety. All I got was a blank stare. This book would probably be better when he's a little older.

[Char (lunarchar_) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like a nostalgic read

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book does a good job of what it sets out to do. Teaching basics about what to do in a house fire, and giving parents a starting point for discussion, in a way that is not negitive or scary. And of course showing children why dragons really shouldn't come over for tea - even if they're nice dragons, just in case they're wondering.

Includes fire safety tips for parents to share in the back.

[Einar Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to kindergartners twice today as a tool for learning about fire safety.

[Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like when he sneezed and burned the house, that’s not kind. It wasn’t ok.

[Little Miss and the Legomeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

2-14-12
Legomeister loved this book when he was four and five. He thought it was a hilarious story and loved the fire safety information.

We checked this out for Little Miss recently. She freaked out. She had tons of questions about what we would do in case of fire, and "What if?" this and that. She's generally not an anxious child. I'm not sure if it was a temporary mood, or if she has a special fear of fire. Still, even though it's scary, it's important to discuss fire safety. So although I can tell this won't be a favorite book of hers, I'm still glad we read it.

I do recommend it. It's a cute story and has tons of good fire safety info. And it's fun to read.

3-5-12
Little Miss has been requesting this frequently and enjoying the story. Luckily the freak-out was a one time thing.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smiles, imagination, and a wonderful dragon make this a read to be visited again and again...and not even realize important fire safety is being taught along the way.

A little girl can't believe her eyes when she and her mother run into a dragon. Of course, she'd love to invite her new friend to tea, and Mom even agrees. With all sorts of delicious treats, the girl and dragon sit down to enjoy their snack...but then, the dragon sneezes. The table cloth catches on fire, the curtains begin to burn, and the two join the mother to handle the situation.

This is one of those books, which dives into imagination, draws the reader into a fun tale, and very stealthily lets the plot teach something without breaking the story flow. The little girl's desire to make the dragon her new friend is inspiring, but then, this is a friendly dragon. Readers will wish they could meet one themselves. It sparks the fantasy and lets it bloom.

When the dragon sneezes and the fire starts, it holds just the right atmosphere to keep things light enough not to scare even more sensitive readers, while still giving the needed sense of urgency. While some things are clearly stated through the mother, others come across more subtly and are woven into the story: for example, the girl crawls out of the house to avoid smoke.

The illustrations are bright and bold with a sense of gentleness thanks to the chalky texture. Each scene comes across clearly and with little details to look for. They balance with the story and add then needed emotions and expressions.

It's just an all-around lovely read to enjoy not only the story, but as a valuable information source as well. Of course, this read does open up to discussions and should be treated as a door to discuss fire safety. I received a complimentary copy through Edelweiss and enjoyed the mix.

[Theediscerning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty five years old come 2024, and still in print – it shows this book has something about it, at least, doesn't it? Here is a wonderfully rhymed (and equally well visualised) narrative of a child who befriends a dragon she (literally) bumps into, and what happens when a humble lunch together turns into a near-disaster. Too much pepper causes a very fiery dragon sneeze, but the dragon knows nothing about evacuating a home, and what to do. Luckily the girl and her mother do, so all is well in the end, and the child reading this will have been entertained as well as any such fire drill lesson could do. Nobody is in hysterics at the blaze, nobody is a complete idiot, it's just calmly doing the right thing and remembering what we should all be aware of in such incidents. The fact this is one of a quartet (if not more) of such books makes this part of a most appealingly informative set.

[Mario Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the author did an excellent job at teaching the reader about fire safety via the story of the little girl's encounter with a dragon in her kitchen. I think that using the example of the little girl knowing what to do during a fire, can help students feel like they too can remain calm if a fire breaks out near them, and can teach them what they could do if they are ever found to be near a fire. Not only that, but the example that the little girl sets in teaching the dragon how to combat a fire, can serve as an example to other kids that they too can lead others and teach them to be fire smart/savvy. If I were to have this book in my future classroom, I would choose to use it during a month/week in which our school would be practicing safety drills for all purposes.

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story in rhyme is a fun action filled and engaging story that also teaches important lessons about fire safety. Our main character meets a dragon and has a great time playing with it. When her mom says it’s time to go, she asks if the dragon can come home with them. Dragon sneezes and the house catches on fire. Time for everyone to safely evacuate. The characters learn fire safety as they leave the house and the book ends with a fire safety checklist. This book would be fun for a class that is expecting a visit from the fire department.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent introduction to fire safety. It introduces ideas like not going back inside because objects are replaceable and people aren't, without being too scary for kids. The dragon is never blamed for starting the fire, but the protagonist still decides to play outside from here on out so it doesn't happen again.

Illustrations are colorful colored pencil and there is some diverse representation among the fire fighters.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had great information on the proper steps children should take when there is a fire. It emphasized the importance of getting out quickly and safely as well as having proper meet-ups with families to ensure everyone is safe. It was age appropriate and had lots of visuals for the children to follow. It also made fire safety fun and entertaining by including mythical creatures such as dragons.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl bumps into a dragon and they play on the beach until her Mom said, "It's time to go home." She didn't want say goodbye, so she asked if he could home. Mom told Just this once, he can come for tea. While they were eating the Dragon had to sneeze and he blew out fire. It caught the tablecloth on fire and their curtains. So she said we have to go outside. Then the fire engine came and put out the -----. this a fun book to read and learn safety around fire.

[Our Weekend Is Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about fire safety explained in a way that children will understand. A young girl invites a dragon over for tea. While drinking tea the dragon sneezes fires which causes a fire in the little girl's house. The girls springs into action and gets her and the dragon to safety. She also doesn't let the dragon go back in to get his teddy bear.

[TJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This charming story, written in rhyming prose, has a memorable message. Let our young narrator introduce you to Dragon and Teddy as they make friends and have adventures! I was beyond thrilled when my daughter danced down the hall after the story ended receipting the verse about never re-entering a burning house. We loved this book.

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for teaching little ones about fire safety, what to do in an emergency, and how to handle situations. I liked this book so much that I went back to the library and got more books by the same author.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a bit cutesy but it gets the job done. The fire safety instructions are clear, the danger isn't too scary, the rhyming not that bad, and the back matter (including a fire safety rhyme) is helpful for grown ups.

[Athos · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this cautionary tale about inviting dragons to tea and them setting fire to the tablecloth and curtains with a fiery sneeze, Son of Athos wanted to be assured that we have no pepper in the house.
"Pepper's ok," said I. "Only Dragons sneeze fire."
"No! No! NO pepper!"

[dsmith7272 Gwinnett Tech · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot and think it will be an excellent teaching tool. It was very entertaining. The author did a good job of explaining fire safety while still keeping the story fun. It shows kids the imp of “stop, drop, and roll”.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gets the fire safety info across without being too preachy. My son liked it.

[Danielle Mootz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute rhyming fire safety story. It reiterates the most important points for children who finds themselves in a house fire.

[Donna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It is a great tool to teach children about fire safety. The book rhymes and at the end there is a rhyme to help them remember fire safety rules.

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the PERFECT book for a fire safety story time. I love the rhyming aspect of it too.

[Kristen Thorp · Rating 3 out of 5]

53/365

Dated information (use a pay phone) and a little forced poetry but still thought the message was sound and done in a cute way.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator makes a new friend at the beach (a dragon). But when she invites him back for a snack, the dragon sneezes and the house catches fire.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated and the rhyming seemed forced.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

More two and a half for me. Creative approach to teaching fire safety.

[Lucinda Cormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book to teach fire safety to older children. It does go over the correct steps.

[Aleritza Santiago-Berrios · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny and nice book for children.

[S.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant way to teach fire safety to young people