This was a delightfully fun story of two brothers, whose family dog is snatched by a dragon, so naturally they have to go after it and rescue their dog! The illustrations are fun, and we especially enjoyed the world map on the frontispiece (edit: there's even an app with which you can scan the map and see it in 3D with live action! It was so cool!) There were many points I liked in the story: the hilarious skepticism of the mother, the craftiness of the younger brother when he got snubbed by the older one, the added details to the plot shown in the illustrations, etc. I really enjoyed the characters and I can't wait to read the others in this trilogy!

I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. Flynn and Paddy are on an adventure to save their dog from certain death when a dragon takes him. This is a hilarious story that kids will love and is accompanied by fun illustrations too.

Sweet adventurous story for young readers who enjoy fantasy. Lovely illustrations. Will be recommending to families!

I did not find this book engaging enough to recommend it to my readers. I believe that the topic had potential and it is written well, but did not draw me in or create a world that engaged me.

The Dragon Hunters, written by James Russell and illustrated by Link Choi, is a tale of two brothers told in rhyme. Dragon stories are always popular with children and this story is sure to be a hit. The rhyme is well done, and the illustrations are fantastic. The book moves along quickly and will keep even the shortest of attention spans engaged. The two brothers use teamwork and ingenuity to retrieve their dog from the fire-breathing dragon, and parents will love to see a story where siblings get along and work together.

While I reviewed an e-book version and did not get to test it out, the book has interactive features which can be unlocked by using the appropriate app. This could be a fun feature for slightly older children and add to the story-telling experience.

This story will engage children in the upper range of picture books as the style feels more like a chapter book than a lower-level picture book.

If your young readers love this book, there are more to come! The Dragon Hunters is the first in a brand new series, The Dragon Brothers, with two more books scheduled for release in the coming months.

Highly recommended for children ages 5 to 8.

Easy reader for young readers. This story is great for kids who love dragons and rhymed stories. Entire series is done in verse. It's not too bad actually. Illustrations were fun!

The Dragon Hunters is the first illustrated chapter book in The Dragon Brother trilogy written by James Russell and illustrated by Link Choi. Living on an island means life is full of adventure for brothers Flynn and Paddy. So when a dragon swoops out of the sky and nabs their beloved dog, Coco, Flynn and Paddy know it's up to them to bring her home. That night, they pack their bags, make some terrible sandwiches, and set off on an epic adventure.

The Dragon Hunters is a short and imaginative book in rhyme for young readers. The boys have an adventure to save their dog from a dragon, and do so with wit and humor. The illustrations are full of color, detail, and whimsy. As ab bonus for the technologically inclined young readers, the map in this book come alive with the use of your phone or tablet, once you download a free AR Reads app. If you do use the app, you can see and hear dragons fly, geysers gush, and get a glimpse of your favorite characters in action. A great incentive to get readers more interested in technology than print books to check it out.

James Russell (author) and Link Choi (illustrator) have created an interactive and rhyming adventure about two brothers, Flynn and Paddy, who go off to rescue their dog Coco from a dragon. Told in rhyming verse, Flynn and Paddy follow an adventurous path to a dragons lair, children can follow the boys path using the map. This is the first book in trilogy. A great read with the younger group 5 and under and for those 6 and up, a great beginning reading book, with a little help.

This picture book from James Russell about two brothers who go hunting a dragon is sure to delight readers of all ages. Beautiful illustrations and rhyming text make it perfect for bedtime, group story times, and I predict that this series will quickly become a favorite that is requested over and over again.

Review from a digital copy provided via Netgalley.

3.5 stars

This first book in a trilogy about two brothers and their island adventures features a dognapping dragon and augmented reality component that are sure to please young readers. The text is in rhyming form, which quickens the pace of the story – except when one stumbles over the meter. After reading a few passages aloud more than once, the rhymes do work, but it takes a few readings sometimes. Most of the rhymes are fairly effortless. This is a picture book, so it is not very long, but I wanted to see more of the dragon. Hopefully it will make more of an appearance in the other two books. I’m not sure if the augmented reality bit adds that much to the story itself, but for young kids, it could be an interactive element that they enjoy. It is not necessary to the story, so if one does not have access to the technology, they are not at a disadvantage. It is cool to see the dragon swooping off the page, though. Of course, I love dragons, so I am probably not an impartial judge on this particular score. Now, if they could come up with a way for that tiny dragon to swoop off the page and land on my shoulder – that would be something! There is a lot to explore on the map – and the boys didn’t really do much exploring in this volume, so I hope to see them navigating through more of their island in books two and three. Overall, I think this is a good start to the series – one that kids will surely enjoy. I can see them thinking up their own adventures.

There are at least 2 more books due in this series and I need them. The first book is adorable. It’s about two brothers who wander far from home to rescue their dog from a dragon. It has a bit of a different layout from most picture books and that is okay. It’s fun, the rhymes are spot on, and the illustrations both colorful, and when just sketches, still joyful.

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What a hoot! The Dragon Hunters by James Russell was a super fun dragon-filled adventure following two brothers who go to rescue their dog from a dragon's clutches.

This was an awesome book about family, team work, and bright ideas, and the illustrations were adorable and captured the story wonderfully. I will be recommending this one!

This book was cute enough, but I don't know that it would be a big hit with my population. I will keep my eyes open for future books in the series. I found the print book at the library and the AR app is pretty neat.

'The Dragon Hunters' by James Russell with art by Link Choi is a book filled with adventure, a dragon, and a lost dog.

Flynn and Paddy live on an island with their mom and their dog Coco. When Coco gets captured by a dragon, it's up to the boys to go rescue her. They pack for a trip, make some ghastly sounding sandwiches and set out to find Coco. And it all kind of rhymes.

I say kind of because it doesn't lilt off the tongue like good kids rhyming books do. There is also a map and an app you can download to see the map do cool things through a smart phone or tablet. The book is cute. One art choice in particular left me scratching my head. It's a picture of the mother and all you basically get is a torso shot. Her face and legs are cut off. It's a really odd choice for an illustration. Other than that, the pictures are colorful, the dragon is fierce and the boys are heroic. I just wish the authors had spent more time on the book and maybe less on the gimicky app.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Sourcebooks Jabberwocky and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

When their beloved dog Coco is snatched up by a dragon, and only the boys see, they must set off on a perilous quest to rescue their pet.

A delicious dragon tale featuring two brave and quick thinking young boys, a fantastic rhyming poem as text for the adventure, and fun illustrations with a graphic novel feel. The map of the boys’ island comes alive when you download an app. I just looked up the series’ website to watch a video of how it works instead of downloading the app. The dragon flying around above the book does look cool. It appears Jabberwocky is re-releasing this picture book series and launching a chapter book adventure featuring the boys this year (2017). I will definitely be on the lookout to purchase the whole series for our libraries. This was quite fun. The poem was done well enough it could stand on its own to tell this exciting tale and leave readers walking away dreaming of dragon adventures, the illustrations were just icing on the cake. Hand this to kids who like grand adventures, dragon tales, or great sounding read alouds. (And for readers who like puzzles, have them try and figure out what Paddy could do with the rope to stop the dragon before turning the page…quite clever, and you could figure it out if you really try.) Now I must go on my own quest for the rest of the books in this series. You can never have enough dragon adventures.

I loved Flynn and Paddy's adventure to rescue their dog, Coco from the dragon's lair! The story was exciting and the illustrations top notch!! Will definitely be adding their adventures to our school library. Can't wait to read this to my students!

When Coco, the dog, is let outside to go play, the two boys see a dragon snap him up. When they tell their mother, she says, "Oh, sure." Then it's time for them to go to bed...

Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published April 1st.

Flynn and Paddy get up early the next morning, pack themselves a lunch and head out to find the dragon. Their mother assumes they are going after the dog. She has that half right.

You can access a live map and use an app to see the characters in action and hear various noises as you read the book. I didn't have that but the book is fine as a standalone.

It's a cute story where the children fumble through their rescue attempt but they succeed. The illustrations are lovely. And Mom still doesn't believe in the dragon. There will be more books in this series, though. Maybe they'll convince her yet!

THE DRAGON BROTHERS by James Russell is the first book in a new adventure trilogy for dragon fans.

Flynn and Paddy live on a remote island, so they’re surprised when a dragon swoops down and kidnaps their dog, Coco. This action adventure picture book traces their journey to rescue their beloved dog.

Librarians will find that this trilogy has broad appeal. Students will also want to download the map app to explore the Dragon Brothers’ world.

Look for THE DRAGON TAMERS (June 2017) and THE DRAGON RIDERS (August 2017) to complete the trilogy.

To learn more about this trilogy, go to http://www.dragonbrothersbooks.com/.

Published by Sourcebook Jabberwocky on April 4, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

When two brothers see their dog stolen away by a dragon, they go on an adventure to get her back!

I really liked the premise of this one, and I could see reading it a few times over with my little one (she loves dragons), but I think it probably could have been done a little better.

There was a rhyming scheme throughout that read pretty smoothly. This is great; because that’s something we’re working on in school right now. In terms of plot and story arcs though, it felt like it could have been written by just about anyone.

Something that bothered me in the story was a scene where the mother wakes to find her two boys missing, and she just kind of brushes it off:

Their mother woke and saw them gone
Said she, “I have a hunch:
They’ve gone to look for Coco.
At least they took some lunch.”

Um no, that is not the correct response to finding your two kids gone without telling you where they went, and finding the food mess they left behind. This was also one of the weaker written sections, and it felt thrown in.

I’m wondering if the pictures weren’t all the way finished, as the copy I read is an ARC. I hope so, because while detailed here and there they didn’t all feel finished.

I do wish the adventure had been a bit longer as well. This story doesn’t seem to be written for young ones to learn how to read, but instead as more of a bedtime story parents can read to their littles (what better bedtimes story than an adventure with dragons?!). So it would have been okay to add some length, and more obstacles in the kids’ way in order to flesh out the story.

All in all, if your child likes dragons I would suggest this one, but if not I would probably pass on it.

Oh, one more thing I appreciated about this book was that the dog was female. I kind of liked the damsel in distress being a dog. Clever little twist there.

Wow, oh, wow! If you are looking for children’s book that is entertaining for both kids and adults, I have the one for you. The Dragon Hunters by James Russell is so much fun!

This children’s book tells the adventurous story of two young brothers who go on an epic quest to rescue their pet dog from a dragon. The illustrations are eye-catching, and the rhymes keep the pace fast and silly. A book that captures my child’s attention with rhymes such as “derriere” and “fresh air” is sure to be a hit in our home.

My two children loved the story, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it aloud with them. In addition to their rescuing efforts told with great rhythm and rhymes, excellent illustrations, the book is also set up to work with a downloadable app. The app makes the story come alive! Even more fun – this is just Book 1 in what is sure to be an exciting trilogy.

I highly recommend this upcoming children’s book for all families. This is a book you will want to read over and over again.