The Dragon and the Turtle Children’s Book Review

By Summer:

I’m so blessed that both of my children – 4 years old and 18 months old – love to read. My sons have never met a book they don’t like, which is great for early literacy and preparation for school. My sons “read” books all the time alone just looking through the book and possibly (and hopefully) recalling the stories in their heads as they thumb through each page slowly.

A new addition to our library is The Dragon and the Turtle: Go On Safari, which is the second book about friends Roger and Padraig in what looks to be the beginning of a series of adventures. My sons, especially the 4 year old, are into dragons so this was one of the main draws for them to read this book. In this adventure of the Dragon and the Turtle, they are camping out in a surprise location where they keep coming in contact with the rarest of beasts in their natural habitat. Together they learn there really isn’t anything to be afraid of on their camping experience, especially if they’re together. The book claims to help children with their fears, but I don’t think the book really addresses this topic, not in text or picture; I had a lot of explaining to do throughout the book about the imaginary animals they were creating by combining animals such as a raccoon and an elephant.

In The Dragon and the Turtle: Go On Safari the pictures are colorful and eye catching for both parents and kids alike. However, I did find, as the reader, that the text seemed more British than American English; for my kids it didn’t seem to draw them out of the story though I did have to concentrate more on my reading as this makes it difficult for me to become captivated. I also feel many of the concepts on the book are unspoken and I had to tell my sons what was happening instead of the story explaining it, even through suggestion.

I do like that the authors have taken plain, old story telling to the next level. At the end of the book they have an interaction page where parents are encouraged to make the story real to the child through real life questions and occurrences. However, this is only scratching the surface for how children can become braver and overcome fear. On the Dragon and Turtle website you can expand your child’s adventures with games, crafts, coloring, mazes, and puzzles; and your adventures as you expand your child’s learning.

You can currently find The Dragon and the Turtle: Go On Safari on Amazon.com for about $9 plus free shipping with Amazon Prime. Also check out the original adventure, The Dragon and the Turtle. You can also purchase these fine titles at Barnes and Noble and Christianbook.com^*.

* Though this book seems to claim to be a Christian book the only reference to God, Christianity, or the Bible is a verse on the back cover, Deuteronomy 31:6.

The Dragon and the Turtle: Go On Safari book was supplied to me by WaterBrook Press in order to write this review.

About Summer:

Summer is the President of our Local MOMS Club chapter, she is the mother of two adorable active boys, and is always thinking of ways to help others. She is a friend, a wife, and always busy as all mommies are. She is very active on Facebook, addicted to Geocaching and very interested in organic and green living.

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