The Baby Dragon-Tamer - Softcover

Jan Fearnley is well-known for her warm and humorous picture book stories, including the bestselling title Just Like You and the award-winning Mr. Wolf's Pancakes.

The familiar premise of a child coming to terms with something potentially scary receives a fresh twist here. A baby tames a dragon not by doing anything spectacular but by just doing regular baby stuff: babbling, burping, pooping, and crying. In return, the dragon finds itself taking care of the baby when it had intended to scare the baby into handing over his treasure. The perplexed dragon saying, “This certainly isn't treasure,” while changing the baby's diaper, will make young readers and listeners chuckle. Unfortunately, the audience isn't quite clear; kids old enough to follow the story line may not be interested in reading about a baby. Colorful watercolor illustrations of the not-too-scary dragon and the intrepid baby provide a variety of perspectives and show lots of action, which will help keep kids' attention. The soothing ending, in which they make friends and the dragon teaches the baby to fly, reassures. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Diane Foote