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Dandelion Magic
Close your eyes, make a wish, and blow up a storm with this interactive, imaginative adventure for fans of Press Here.
Jonah’s nana has always told him that some dandelions are magical and can grant wishes. When a wish turns Jonah into a pirate, it’s up to the reader to help him navigate the choppy waters and all the great monsters he meets by blowing the wind, making faces, and doing raspberries.
Jonah’s nana has always told him that some dandelions are magical and can grant wishes. When a wish turns Jonah into a pirate, it’s up to the reader to help him navigate the choppy waters and all the great monsters he meets by blowing the wind, making faces, and doing raspberries.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published April 20, 2021
5 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Darren Farrell
8 books12 followersDarren Farrell is an award-winning author and illustrator. His “sophisticated urban style” has been praised by the New York Times, called “insanely detailed” and “a modern-day toddler classic” by NPR, received a coveted star from Kirkus and won the Marion Vannett Ridgway Honor. His books have been featured in the Imagination Library, praised in newspapers around the country and one book (Dandelion Magic) is up for the 2024 North Carolina Children's Book Award.
Mr Farrell lives in North Carolina.
Mr Farrell lives in North Carolina.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
June 27, 2022
A fun, interactive story where the reader (and listener), get to participate by making wishes for Jonah, then blowing on the magic dandelion to make the wishes come true. Some of the wishes are pretty silly. Perhaps yours will make more sense . . .
May 6, 2023
From Aunt Dolly. This book kinda reads like a fever dream but it’s interactive and fun and Theo likes it. Theo’s review: “so fun.”
February 5, 2024
An interactive adventure that was a delight to read in storytime. The omniscient narrator has the reader make a number of wishes on Jonah's magic dandelion, resulting in pineapples, pirates, and pizza, as well as sea monsters.
I did have to warn the kids that we weren't "blowing," but instead would just say a loud "whoooosh" while pantomiming with our hands. And the big wet raspberry bit got edited out (my apologies to the author), but that was never going to fly in a group storytime anyway. Using this title another time I pulled out the scarves and we "waved" at the dandelion and Jonah in order to make our wishes, which worked very well.
More importantly, we saved Jonah (after getting him into trouble in the first place), and so the mission was a success.
I did have to warn the kids that we weren't "blowing," but instead would just say a loud "whoooosh" while pantomiming with our hands. And the big wet raspberry bit got edited out (my apologies to the author), but that was never going to fly in a group storytime anyway. Using this title another time I pulled out the scarves and we "waved" at the dandelion and Jonah in order to make our wishes, which worked very well.
More importantly, we saved Jonah (after getting him into trouble in the first place), and so the mission was a success.
July 2, 2025
A fun and interactive book leveraging imagination, the reader’s active engagement (close your eyes, make a wish… blow here…)
My toddler was engaged the entire book! I think it helped that we’ve played with dandelions before reading.
My toddler was engaged the entire book! I think it helped that we’ve played with dandelions before reading.
July 17, 2022
So much fun!
November 14, 2025
10/10! My kids love this book.
December 9, 2025
This book probably has the most spit out of any book in the library or at home. But the boys love it.
December 6, 2025
oops just now getting to our June 2025 Aunt Dolly book. Nicely interactive, very fun imagination for wishes (and a great purple giant squid)
April 26, 2023
Fun interactive book for kids with big imaginations!
July 18, 2025
Great Read-a-Loud
August 26, 2021
Fun, interactive book with a lot of blowing on dandelions and blowing winds to help the main character along on his adventures.
July 25, 2020
I literally laughed out loud. I love a great, interactive, perfect-for-storytime read-aloud book, and the surprise non sequiturs made it even better. Dandelions are charming in their potential, and making the reader an active participant in the immediate magic that occurs makes every dandelion in the field a possibility!
June 18, 2021
Only one dandelion in the whole world works? And you get multiple wishes out of it?
July 14, 2021
Very fun and interactive. Good for storytimes.
June 7, 2024
The text, colors and illustrations are purposefully displayed in a childlike manner. They seem soft, homespun and engaging as a whole, but the concept itself fails.
This is a classic case of an author who doesn't trust his audience, and cares more about his message than about telling a story. The story centers around the age-old but sweet trope surrounding blowing on dandelion seeds and making a wish. The irony is that the author takes a whimsical, spontaneous childhood behavior and, rather than honoring its beautiful simplicity, he places it on a pedestal and ritualizes it.
In the front flap we find--I'm not kidding--a bullet pointed list of instructions with multiple subheadings and sets of commands more complex and arcane than some tax forms I've encountered. It seems to be a guide or instructions, but it isn't clear if this is intended for teachers, parents, children or some other party. It also includes spoilers about the story itself.
I love picture books with interactive aspects, and I appreciate the attempt here, but the instructions are so specific and verbose they remove the possibility of any spontaneity if followed. At times it is also quite condescending (e.g. "This is Jonah...Can you say "HELLO" to him?" Folks, if you want to break the fourth wall, this is not how to do it. The book encourages children to make a wish on a dandelion seed...but then fills in the results with the author's concept of whimsy rather than further elucidating the child's own thoughts. If I was a child having this read to me, I would find this annoying and frustrating. It's similar to how some uptight teachers used to go through the motions of asking children what they're thinking when it's obvious they could care less, because the question is merely a script that is ultimately intended for the teacher to share their thoughts with the child.
The interactive element is also weird because it's instructing children to "blow on dandelion seeds" using their imaginations, I guess...?
I don't know if this book was intended as a bedtime story, but it would be wildly inappropriate for that and should come with a warning not to be read to kids with sensory seeking tendencies because at various points it encourages children to roar, scream, blow raspberries, and thrash around in the bathtub. It tells children to "blow" so frequently, it's obvious that the author thinks this is children's favorite or most cathartic activity in the world. The content seems to be designed for infants and toddlers, yet it's oddly over-intellectual and confusing.
Could there be anything more obnoxious than a book that invites you to use your imagination...and then tells you exactly what to imagine and how to imagine it...all while giving you faux camp counselor-like hand claps of encouragement? Even the magic of simply blowing on the dandelion is stripped of its joy by the author telling us that there can only be ONE magical dandelion seed you can wish on. Actually, there is worse. At least we can say that this is not a book that deliberately attempts to taint and brainwash children with politics and ideology, so I give it two stars rather than one.
I think future generations will conclude as I have, that STEM was one of the most damaging pedagogical concepts of our time. Not only does STEM devalue the arts, it has also inspired phalanxes of posers and wannabe "educators" to spin out reams of dreck that they think will inspire teachers to use their work as an educational tool. Thanks to STEM, we have more adults writing picture books to impress other adults, ignoring children, art, and craft entirely in their vainglorious personal quest for status and validation. Whether or not that was this author's intent, I cannot say, but it has all the trappings of a work designed more for the needs of the education industry than the needs of children.
This is the bizarre incoherence that results when the world of adults adulterates the world of children. When people who have a vague idea of what awe and wonder are--or are conversant in a few of its most easily identified symbols--but have no actual understanding or experience of awe and wonder, this is the result: a bizarre instruction manual in how to cut loose by someone who pretends to be talking to you, but is really just having a conversation with their self.
This is a classic case of an author who doesn't trust his audience, and cares more about his message than about telling a story. The story centers around the age-old but sweet trope surrounding blowing on dandelion seeds and making a wish. The irony is that the author takes a whimsical, spontaneous childhood behavior and, rather than honoring its beautiful simplicity, he places it on a pedestal and ritualizes it.
In the front flap we find--I'm not kidding--a bullet pointed list of instructions with multiple subheadings and sets of commands more complex and arcane than some tax forms I've encountered. It seems to be a guide or instructions, but it isn't clear if this is intended for teachers, parents, children or some other party. It also includes spoilers about the story itself.
I love picture books with interactive aspects, and I appreciate the attempt here, but the instructions are so specific and verbose they remove the possibility of any spontaneity if followed. At times it is also quite condescending (e.g. "This is Jonah...Can you say "HELLO" to him?" Folks, if you want to break the fourth wall, this is not how to do it. The book encourages children to make a wish on a dandelion seed...but then fills in the results with the author's concept of whimsy rather than further elucidating the child's own thoughts. If I was a child having this read to me, I would find this annoying and frustrating. It's similar to how some uptight teachers used to go through the motions of asking children what they're thinking when it's obvious they could care less, because the question is merely a script that is ultimately intended for the teacher to share their thoughts with the child.
The interactive element is also weird because it's instructing children to "blow on dandelion seeds" using their imaginations, I guess...?
I don't know if this book was intended as a bedtime story, but it would be wildly inappropriate for that and should come with a warning not to be read to kids with sensory seeking tendencies because at various points it encourages children to roar, scream, blow raspberries, and thrash around in the bathtub. It tells children to "blow" so frequently, it's obvious that the author thinks this is children's favorite or most cathartic activity in the world. The content seems to be designed for infants and toddlers, yet it's oddly over-intellectual and confusing.
Could there be anything more obnoxious than a book that invites you to use your imagination...and then tells you exactly what to imagine and how to imagine it...all while giving you faux camp counselor-like hand claps of encouragement? Even the magic of simply blowing on the dandelion is stripped of its joy by the author telling us that there can only be ONE magical dandelion seed you can wish on. Actually, there is worse. At least we can say that this is not a book that deliberately attempts to taint and brainwash children with politics and ideology, so I give it two stars rather than one.
I think future generations will conclude as I have, that STEM was one of the most damaging pedagogical concepts of our time. Not only does STEM devalue the arts, it has also inspired phalanxes of posers and wannabe "educators" to spin out reams of dreck that they think will inspire teachers to use their work as an educational tool. Thanks to STEM, we have more adults writing picture books to impress other adults, ignoring children, art, and craft entirely in their vainglorious personal quest for status and validation. Whether or not that was this author's intent, I cannot say, but it has all the trappings of a work designed more for the needs of the education industry than the needs of children.
This is the bizarre incoherence that results when the world of adults adulterates the world of children. When people who have a vague idea of what awe and wonder are--or are conversant in a few of its most easily identified symbols--but have no actual understanding or experience of awe and wonder, this is the result: a bizarre instruction manual in how to cut loose by someone who pretends to be talking to you, but is really just having a conversation with their self.
September 9, 2024
Little ones are always fascinated by dandelions in whatever form. When on a neighborhood walk with my 4-year-old grandson, he was obsessed with collecting a bouquet of as many dandelion blooms as he could hold in his little fist to give to his Mommy. Six-year-old Renley has been captivated for the last three years by dandelions gone to seed—she calls the round seed clusters “wishes”, and makes a wish on each and every one. In Dandelion Magic, young Jonah makes lots of wishes that take him on a crazy pirate adventure! The story encourages young readers to participate, getting Jonah out of one jam after another! This picture book will delight young readers ages 2-7 and the Nanas who read them! I loved reading the library book version to my grands so much that I had to get my own copy!
October 9, 2024
This book is so fun! My toddler, elementary age child, and husband all enjoy this highly interactive story.
Every page encourages the reader to interact with the characters or the story to further the plot. It made my kids want to pay attention to the story, predict what would happen, and play out the story after reading it. I definitely would recommend parents get this and read it with their kids.
Every page encourages the reader to interact with the characters or the story to further the plot. It made my kids want to pay attention to the story, predict what would happen, and play out the story after reading it. I definitely would recommend parents get this and read it with their kids.
June 2, 2021
I have significant concerns over this portion: "Put out that fire with your wettest wet raspberry! Stick out your tongue and BLOW with all your might!!" Let's aside COVID/flu season issues, but I, quite frankly, don't want kids doing this in storytime at any time of year. Otherwise, what a delightfully interactive story.
November 5, 2024
One of my favorite books for children. I have read this book to many different age groups and each group loves that the book is interactive. We enjoy all the different things that the book asks of us on each page, from blowing the fuzz off of the dandelion, to blowing raspberries at the scary monsters. This book is never boring and will bring lots of giggles and smiles.
July 26, 2021
interactive book. a little boy's nana tells him that each year a special dandelion exists, and whoever finds it can make a wish and blow on it and the wish will come true. the audience blows air, makes scary faces, and does other things to help jonah
October 24, 2021
I'm not normally a big fan of the super interactive books but this one is actually good. My 3-year-old LOVES it.
Besides blowing the raspberry, there weren't any too disruptive/gross/ridiculous things the book instructed them do.
Besides blowing the raspberry, there weren't any too disruptive/gross/ridiculous things the book instructed them do.
May 28, 2022
This book could be a lot of fun to read. All about wishing on a dandelion except, when you need to wish, the book actually calls for you to blow on the books. The story wasn’t overly awesome/meaningful, but the interactions with the book were silly and fun.
June 11, 2022
This book was so cute, and very interactive! My daughter and I did all the things the book said, and laughed the whole time. It was so much fun! My son even got into the book a bit.
This book is so much fun, and would be great for kids!
This book is so much fun, and would be great for kids!
June 19, 2022
My daughter absolutely loves this book! She has so much fun interacting with the story. We’ve also been able to use the breathing techniques from the dandelion wishes in the books to help her manage her temper tantrums as a toddler! Quirky, fun, and helpful.
December 15, 2022
I read this to my nephew (he’s 2) and he was laughing and laughing and laughing. Trying to blow with me, even if he didn’t understand the story. This book holds that special memory for me, so I love it.
April 27, 2023
This little book came in the mail from Imagination Library and it was one of the CUTEST books I’ve read to my daughter. I LOVE dandelions and this book engages her imagination and gives her prompts to “blow” the dandelion and make silly faces ect. I enjoyed reading this with her!
June 19, 2024
Wonderfully interactive book for K and 1st. A great read for when kids struggle to sit still and focus as they have something to do on each page. Do prepare to be blown on - perhaps sit a bit further back than usual.
March 8, 2025
This is a very sweet book with wonderful illustrations, a story that I'll love reading to my grandson. It's all about finding a magic dandelion that when those seeds are blown about, a wish is granted. It's a fun and intriguing story that little ones will enjoy.
April 26, 2025
What a fun, beautiful book about the imaginative, magical power of dandelions! Kids will love the wishing power and the interactive nature of this book! It's a great read-aloud -- perfect for story time, the classroom, or a bedtime story! Believe in the magic again!
May 5, 2025
I really loved this children's book and reading it with my best friend's child. It's a really fun read aloud book and it's interactive in a way that she had a lot of fun with. Definitely recommend if you're in need of a book for a small child in your life.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews