Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 48 pages, ages 4-8). Ember loves gold, but he’s too small to terrorize villagers into giving it to him like the other dragons do. He’s excited when he sees a glimmer of gold in the distance until it turns out to be street lamp. Discouraged, he falls asleep, but when a raging storm hits, a kind baker invites him inside. Ember proves a natural at kneading dough and shaping loaves, and the baker rewards him with a sack of fresh bread. Back home, the other dragons can’t believe how good bread tastes and offer Ember a share of their gold if he can get them more. The whole group of them show up at the baker’s door, led by Ember, and pour out a bag filled with their stolen gold. Before long, dragons and humans are happily living side by side, with everyone having enough gold AND bread.
This is some good old-fashioned storytelling with enchanting illustrations that feature an adorable little dragon and mouth-watering pictures of bread. I can’t wait to share this with kids; it would make a great gift or addition to any library. I did feel like the baker was overlooking a sustainable source of energy to bake her bread with dozens of fire-breathing dragons showing up on her doorstep.
Dragon for Hanukkah by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy (Orchard Books, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Hannah tells readers about the gifts she’s gotten so far for Hanukkah: a dragon named Nerry from her parents on the first night, a rainbow from Bubbie on the second night, a full treasure chest from her aunt on the the third. Now it’s the eighth night and time to clean up for the guests who will soon be arriving. As Hannah tidies up her room, readers can see that the dragon is stuffed, the rainbow was created with markers, and the treasure chest is full of Hanukkah gelt. Cleaning up produces some toys to donate to others, all part of the eighth night–the most magical night–of Hanukkah. The last two pages have Nerry asking questions that Hannah answers to give readers more information about the holiday.
A fun Hanukkah read-aloud just right for younger kids, who will enjoy seeing the ordinary objects in the illustrations that Hannah has created magical stories about. The additional information at the end is an enjoyable way to learn more about Hanukkah.