How to Be Friends with a Dragon

PreS-Gr 1—Simon, a mischievous little boy, is a big fan of all things dragon. He would like nothing better than to become friends with a "real" dragon. His older sister, Emma, an adorable, bespectacled know-it-all, offers him many rules for befriending one. Starting with not scaring the dragon and being nice, her guidelines include wearing a seatbelt when flying on his back, not poking the sleeping creature in the nose with a stick, and saying "thank you" when he fries up some eggs in his mouth. The beast, initially portrayed as an oversize green plush toy in Simon's arms, becomes enormous but friendly looking in the "rules" pages, with tufted ears and horns and an affable expression. Bright, mostly full-page watercolor and ink illustrations in Gorbachev's characteristic style are brimming with gentle humor. Pair this book with Jack Kent's classic There's No Such Thing as a Dragon (Golden, 2001) or David Biedrzycki's Me and My Dragon (Charlesbridge, 2011) for a fun, fire-breathing storytime.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY