"Roger loves adventure. Today he's playing pirate, sailing the high seas, dancing to the hornpipe, and catching fish. But the wind's blown him of course and he's...well...lost.
When Padraig, a kitten-sized, bug-eating dragon, encounters the lost turtle, he offers to help Roger find his way home. Roger's directions take some time to follow - his house looks brown, sounds like singing, smells like baking, feels like sand, and tastes like strawberries - and along the way, Roger and Padraig become friends. And friendship always yields unexpected rewards - like cookies."
Written by Donita K. Paul and her daughter Evangeline Denmark
Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen
My Review:
I wanted to try my hand at reviewing a childrens book, obviously, as my own children (child) are just getting into books and reading. I was super impressed by Donita and Evangeline's childrens books! The story is precious as it follows these two loveable characters as they go through their normal days.
The authors use of cute phrases like, "crunchy, squishy, nutty bug" to describe Dragon Padraigs snack were perfect for my preschooler. She also loved following the story line to finding Rogers house. Using the 5 senses was a great teaching tool and a great way to gain more interaction as we read. For example - I was able to ask, "How do we smell? What do we use to smell the cookies?"
My favorite parts of this book were actually after the story was over. At the end of the book there are two pages for parents. Page one gives a bible verse to correlate with the lesson this book offered - in this case - friendship (Proverbs 17:17). I loved the idea of ending a childrens book with a quick bible lesson to plug in. Especially with my very young, wiggly child. After the verse there are several discussion questions that would be beneficial for older children, too.
And at its closing, this adorable book offers a recipe for the cookie Roger and Padraig enjoyed together once they found Roger's house. Precious! The authors make a note that encourages children to celebrate their friends and gives them ideas on how to send a letter, make a phone call, etc.
An adorable book with a wonderful, biblical message on how to love our friends. I'd recommend this to anyone with smaller children. The illustrations were incredible, too. Nguyen created two characters that are fun to look at and have beautiful details.
If you are interested in purchasing this book click here.
To preview an excerpt click here.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
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