Asa pulled The Dragon and Turtle book off the shelf the other day and almost jumped for joy, “Dragon! Turtle! Dragon! Turtle!” So, when we got the new The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari book in the mail* Asa knew it was for him. He was ready to read it and we settled right in to do so.
Roger, the Turtle and Padraig the Dragon spend the whole night in a tent in the backyard. They try to be brave but as they begin to hear animals they get a little scared. A raccoon sounds like an elephant. A kitten is a leopard. As soon as they want to run home and escape the wilderness they realize they’ve made it through the night. The main theme is about bravery and not letting your imagination run away with you.
As in the first Dragon and Turtle book, there is a final page addressed to the parents with a scripture (Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid…God goes with you; he will never leave you.”) and some questions and activities to do with the kids. I love this because it shows me the authors want to do more than entertain kids, they want them to know God’s Word in everyday activities. (Right up my alley!)
And the message is perfect for my Lydia. Since she is always battling fear and self-control this is a good lesson for her–learning to not let your imagination run away with her and getting fearful things that have not even happened.
I don’t think the story is as good as the first book. And the pictures are a little confusing because they show the imaginary animals combined with the real animals (like a racoon-elephant) and I know the kids didn’t get it. But overall it’s a fun story and I just love that it’s a real BOY book!
To help the book come alive a little more (my fave) we printed off a “flat” turtle and “flat” dragon. We let them tag along with us all day…they ate lunch with us, Lydia showed them around the playroom and of course, helped me with my blog (see first pic!). Even days later, the kids got super excited whenever they saw their little friends. They feel like they ARE friends! I love when books can come alive. And I hope the message of being brave stays in the forefront of my kids’ minds!
*book was received as part of Blogging for Books from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. You can join, too!
