Dragons in September always reminds me of Michaelmas. Michaelmas is on September 29th. It is a day that we learned about when we were in parent/child at the Waldorf School. For the Waldorf School, Michaelmas is a day celebrating the story of St. George defeating the dragon. The celebration is about facing our own dragons. Today we are sharing three books featuring dragons, so they are perfect for Michaelmas. The first book however is actually about the Chinese New Year or the lunar new year celebration in China. It is Where's Waldo? The Golden Dragon Chase by Candlewick Press. It is an early reader book and is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Publisher's Summary:
Where’s Waldo? On his biggest adventure yet: helping children learn to read! Join Waldo and friends for a Lunar New Year celebration as they help find and return a golden dragon statue.For the first time ever, Waldo is targeting a new generation of readers in an exciting new early reader series. It's Lunar New Year, but there’s a problem—a golden dragon statue has come alive and is on the loose! Can Waldo and his friends track it down and bring it back where it belongs? Join Waldo on an exciting search-and-find adventure that blends storytelling and discovery. With expertly designed guidance for parents and caregivers, the book includes helpful notes to support children as they gain confidence and independence on their reading journey.
From Me:
In this book, Waldo and his friends help their friend Wizard Whitebeard to find a missing magical key. It has disappeared in China during the lunar new year. They hope to find it before Odlulu because she will use it to cause chaos. She in fact finds it and makes a dragon statue come alive. Now Waldo and Wenda have to get the key back and get the dragon back to its statue state and not let it cause too much damage in China.
There are pages where the reader is asked (or not) to find Waldo and his friends like a typical Where's Waldo? book. However, there are also pages of the story that share some of the Chinese celebration of the lunar new year like the lion dance. It is a fun book and perfect for an emerging reader to learn a bit about the lunar new year plus have the fun of searching for Waldo.
Our next book is a picture book about a dragon and an allergy to magical creatures. It is The Secret Dragon by Briony May Smith. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Publisher's Summary:
Can Prince Griff keep his pet dragon hidden before sparks fly...literally? From the popular creator of Margaret's Unicorn comes this whimsical picture book that stars a young royal, an ever-growing dragon, and a very sneezy queen with an allergy to magical creatures.More than anything, Prince Griffin of Wyrmrock wants a pet. The only problem? His mother, the Queen, is allergic to ALL magical beasts.
Luckily for Griff, his aunt, the great Sorceress Morgana, has a trick up her sleeve. For his eighth birthday, she sneaks him a mysterious gift: an egg that hatches to reveal... a baby dragon!
It isn't terribly difficult, at first, to keep Sir Pipsqueak the dragon a secret. But soon enough, Pip is much too big to hide in Griffin's cloak pocket. Or behind the gargoyle statue. Or even in the grand armory... Plus, who knew dragons spontaneously breathe fire??
Forsooth, how will Griff ever keep the Queen from finding out about his beloved pet?
From Me:
In this picture book Prince Griff is gifted a dragon's egg as an early birthday gift. There is one problem. His mother is allergic to all magical creatures and has forbidden any from being in castle. He has to hide the dragon after the egg hatches. He names the little dragon Sir Pipsqueak. However, Sir Pipsqueak grows quite quickly. When his mother is about to find them Sir Pipsqueak is sent away hide and Prince Griff gets in trouble. His windows are barred and he has to sleep with his mother. Prince Griff is so sad and worried about his dragon. Finally his mother contacts her sorceress sister who gave the egg to Griff and discovers it is an allergy free dragon. They find Sir Pipsqueak and he is allowed to live in the castle.
This book is just fun! Prince Griff wants a pet but can't have one. There are many kids in similar positions. When his aunt finds one that will work, he thinks he has to hide it from his mother, but when his mother sees how sad he is without it and finds out it cannot shed its scales, she goes with him to find him and the two enjoy having the dragon. It is a story about pet responsibility as well as caring for others. Kids will love the humor in the dragon hiding in the castle. There can definitely be a search on various pages to find him. This book is a perfect book for dragon lovers, animal lovers, and for a story time. You can download an activities packet here.
Our final book is not just about dragons but all sorts of mythical creatures. It is The Ultimate Book of Mythical Creatures by Aurore Meyer and illustrated by Gabrielle Berger. It is recommended for ages 5+. It is also a pop-up book with all sorts of things to pull and turn.
Publisher's Summary:
With more than 50 flaps, tabs, pop-ups, and rotating wheels, creatures from mythology and folklore come to life in this oversized, interactive book. Young readers will learn about creatures such as the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, Pegasus, mermaids, the phoenix, and many more!
Perfect for curious minds aged 5 and up, this book offers a hands-on introduction to mythical and legendary creatures from around the world.
Key Features:
•Supersized spreads with rich, detailed illustrations
•Over 50 interactive features to keep kids engaged
•Diverse content draws from mythology and folklore from around the world
•Perfect introduction for young children to mythology and folklore
•Captivating family read-aloud
Ideal for fans of the bestselling Ultimate Book™ series, including The Ultimate Book of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures, The Ultimate Book of Animals, and more!
From Me:
This is such a fun book. It has pop-ups and tags and wheels. It shares the various magical creatures from stories around the world. It has the mythical creatures from the Greek and Roman myths but also ones from the Aztec and Native American stories. There are ones from Africa and Australia. Truly it is a collection from all the various cultures. It has the beautiful and nice creatures like the unicorn but also the scary ones like the Kraken. There are Asian ones as well like the kappa and the baku. It is the perfect book for anyone who studies or teaches mythology of any type or for those who loved The Odyssey movie out this past summer. It gives some information about many of the creatures in the movie (and the book) as well as ones from other cultures.
And of course, it has a page dedicated to dragons. Dragons can be found in many different cultures. In this book some of the dragons from Chinese, Native American, Scandinavian, Greek, and more stories including one from the Bible. This book is a wonderful resource to folktales and mythology from all cultures and gives the reader an introduction to them. If one interests a reader, I hope the reader will find more about it by reading the traditional tales that are out there. It is a perfect book for any classroom that reads/studies myths as well as for any home where kids are fascinated by magical creatures!
So the next few weeks I hope you gather your dragon resources and get ready to help the kids find ways to fight their inner dragons and consider celebrating Michaelmas!
