It's Spring, Dear Dragon

The Dear Dragon series is made up of several books that are easy readers. They use site vocabulary that is printed in the back of the book. It reminds me of the books I learned to read with.

In this issue of the Dear Dragon series, the boy and his pet dragon learn about some things that happen in spring such as rainy days, new flowers growing, St. Patrick's Day and Easter baskets. They see animals that appear in spring such as robins and bunnies and play outside with their friends doing things like playing marbles and hopscotch. A cute story to introduce young readers to spring words and seasonal activities.

These Beginning-to-Read books capture the imaginations of beginning readers and help them on their way to independent reading. They could also be read aloud to young children who are not able to read yet. A great addition to a family library or a primary classroom.

It’s Spring, Dear Dragon is a cute story about a boy and his dragon muddling over the changing weather we experience so often during springtime. 

As an elementary school librarian, it is hard to find books that interest struggling and beginning readers that are appropriate for their limited skill sets. This book uses only 76 basic words, giving our beginning readers a sense of confidence and accomplishment as they will likely be able to read the text with minimal assistance. 

The resources as the end of the book (activities for enhancing phonemic awareness, phonics, word work, fluency and comprehension) add to the value of this short story. I often have educators ask for book recommendations that do not contain contractions and with the exception of the book’s title, this would be a great title to consider. 

This would be a wonderful addition to any library or collection for young readers. Unfortunately, I won’t be purchasing it for my library as it references the Easter bunny, which does not align with my school’s belief of the celebration of Easter.

Awesome book to work with children to make them understand about Spring.  I'll definitely use it in some of my classes with children, so that I can work the vocabulary with them with some additional material. And the bonus is that it has a dragon, and they do love dragons!

It's Spring, Dear Dragon is a charming book written by Margaret Hillert, with illustrations by David Schimmell.

A boy and his pet dragon want to go outside to play, only they can't because it is raining! They aren't deterred as Mum teaches them about events that happen in Spring, which includes the growing of flowers which is aided by the rain, Saint Patrick's Day, Easter bunnies and playing marbles or hopscotch. 

As a teacher, I would use this book as an introduction to a topic about the season of Spring as it offers the basics to guide the beginning of topic work. Alternatively, I would pass it to the children in my class who need practise with sight reading. I particularly liked the 'Reading Reinforcement' section at the back as, if I sent this home for reading, I often find that care givers aren't sure what to do once the book has been read and this offers vast amounts of guidance on how to extend knowledge. 

Although I did like this book, I found it very basic, especially as a means to promote sight reading.

All of the Dragon books are delightful, and this book is no exception.  This book makes me want a pet dragon!

Perfect for the beginning reader, Margaret Hillert introduces the child to the wonders of the season through the eyes of a young boy and his pet dragon using a controlled vocabulary in It's Spring, Dear Dragon. It's a rainy March day, but mother points out that the rain is helping the flowers grow. The boy colors pictures of tulips and other flowers then thanks his mom for providing a snack of Shamrock cookies and a Leprechan hat associated with Saint Patrick's Day. When the rain stops, they admire the rainbow and go out to play. They join their friends playing marbles and hop scotch. Other symbols showing the rebirth of Spring are explored, including Easter. This gentle story, while not exciting, will give a child the pride in knowing that they can read it themselves with little or no assistance. The pictures enhance the simple text to complete the tale. The illustrator, David Schimmel has created a lovable, pint-size dragon (about the size of a dog) with a cover Illustration of the creature jumping in a puddle. The book includes extension activities as well as a list of vocabulary words. 

A thank you to Netgalley and and Norwood House Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Four stars.

Another great book from Margaret Hillert! I don't know what the teachers would do without these books.