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214th out of 628 books
—
1,017 voters
There's No Such Thing as a Dragon
by
Jack Kent
From the publisher:
When Billy Bixbee finds a tiny dragon in his bedroom, his mom tells him, “There’s no such thing as a dragon!” This only makes the dragon get bigger. He grows, and grows, and grows, until he’s bigger than Billy’s house—and that’s just the beginning!
Charming text and playful illustrations show that a little attention can make a big difference, no matter wh...more
When Billy Bixbee finds a tiny dragon in his bedroom, his mom tells him, “There’s no such thing as a dragon!” This only makes the dragon get bigger. He grows, and grows, and grows, until he’s bigger than Billy’s house—and that’s just the beginning!
Charming text and playful illustrations show that a little attention can make a big difference, no matter wh...more
Hardcover
Published
2005
by Golden Books
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A personal favorite from my own childhood - and actually, one of the few picture books I remember with total clarity. It has stayed with me over the years. There's something so endearing about this story...the small dragon that befriends the little boy. And then in defiance of all who keep saying he can't possibly exist (despite what they see), he keeps getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger... It's not until they finally recognize that, indeed, a giant dragon is stuffed inside their house that...more
There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon is a wonderful short story about a dragon who just wants to be noticed. When Billy Bixbee wakes up one morning and discovers a kitten-sized dragon in his room, he immediately goes to tell his mother what he has found. Billy’s mother, however, is adamant that there is no such thing as a dragon, despite the dragon eating all of Billy’s breakfast. Being a good boy, Billy follows his mother’s example and sets about ignoring his new friend. In an effort to be acknowl...more
I loved this book as a kid and have very fond memories of reading it at naptime and bedtime and quiet time and any other time I could snag it from a sibling's stash of books. Recently it popped back into my head but I couldn't remember the title or author; just the cover art and the general plotline (including the pancakes. How we would howl at the pancake stealing dragon). For some reason I thought it was a dinosaur and spent a few frustrating minutes searching for this until as a last ditch I...more
There's no such thing as a dragon is a story I have read to Reception aged children during storytime. The story revolves around a young boy, Billie, who one day finds a dragon the size of a kitten in his room. When he tells his mum she tells him "There's no such thing as a dragon". Following her advice, he tells himself the same thing and ignores the dragon. However as Billie ignores the dragon he grows by leaps and bounds until he is the size of the house! The grown ups continue to ignore him,...more
I might give this smartly rendered book two and a half stars.
Adorned with charming illustrations, Jack Kent uses very adept humor and strong writing skills to make the point that it's ridiculous to deny something obvious just because one doesn't want to believe it to be true. This lesson has applications in many areas, and I can think of no better way to be introduced to the idea than through "There's No Such Thing As a Dragon". Very well done!
Adorned with charming illustrations, Jack Kent uses very adept humor and strong writing skills to make the point that it's ridiculous to deny something obvious just because one doesn't want to believe it to be true. This lesson has applications in many areas, and I can think of no better way to be introduced to the idea than through "There's No Such Thing As a Dragon". Very well done!
When I was young I used to know the opening page of this book off by heart, that says it all really. My parents and grandparents must have been sick to the teeth of it. I think this book is enchanting and hope that my niece will love it as much as I did. I still have my original copy and intend to keep it for when I have children and then grandchildren, as I need an excuse to read it every night once again.
Sarah N. was right--this is fabulous! She just barely told me about it and then I came across it while shelving some books. I love the pictures and the story and the "hidden" humor. This should work very well in a preschool storytime.
5/18/10 & 5/20/10 I had a blast reading this. I think the kids enjoyed the story, but missed the whole "noticed" part. Still--they loved the bread part! A group setting might have kept them from getting some of the humor in the pictures. But overall, enjoyable....more
5/18/10 & 5/20/10 I had a blast reading this. I think the kids enjoyed the story, but missed the whole "noticed" part. Still--they loved the bread part! A group setting might have kept them from getting some of the humor in the pictures. But overall, enjoyable....more
How hysterical a tale of a little boy named Billy who awakes with a dragon the size of a kitten...who grows and grows throughout the day. Billy's mother denies that this dragon exists which aggravates the situation. Children will love the illustrations showing the dragon taking over the house and Billy's insistence about the dragon being real.
Mommy says: This cool little book about a dragon that "doesn't exist," but gets bigger and bigger the more people ignore it, gives parents a chance to talk about metaphors and how ignoring a problem will only make it grow bigger and get worse. Once you acknowledge the dragon/problem, watch how it shrinks back to a manageable size.
This was one of my favorite books as I child, one that made a lasting impression on me. Although it's been well over 30 years since I last read it, it's come to mind many times in many situations over the years. I should re-read it now, and see if I still remember every bit of it as clearly as I think I do.
Great book for preschool storytime. Story is funny enough to keep the children's attention and has a sweet message at the end of it.
2/7/2012 & 2/9/2012 - Worked well. Know your group though. If your group is rowdy and having a rough day, this book will be too long for them to sit through.
2/7/2012 & 2/9/2012 - Worked well. Know your group though. If your group is rowdy and having a rough day, this book will be too long for them to sit through.
A very cute story a growing dragon in the house discovered by the young boy and a mother who's oblivious to the whole situation as this dragons grows. The story is fun and comical. Great for different storytime audiences and would definitely read this book to children again.
I missed this one as a kid, but I love meeting it as an adult. This one is a multi-layered book and can be used to fit a variety of themes (imagination, dealing with problems, being noticed). It's just a great story and will be fun to read aloud to older kiddos.
Another old favorite from my childhood. I haven't read it in forever, but I still remember the illustrations and the mother's amusing obliviousness to a dragon that gets so big it's eventually carrying the house around on its back like a snail shell.
Eleanor discovered this little book and loved it. I was reminded by my mother that this was one of my favorite books as a young boy. Can good taste be hereditary? It was fun to hear Eleanor parrot Kent's fun phrases at just the right time.
My family's copy of this has corrections written in by my mother--it's a good story, but there are a couple of places where the grammar is appalling. The worst being "and she said it like she meant it". Grrr.
Good concept. That comes across as "damning with faint praise" but for a lot of picture books, that's really all there's time for. Oh, sure Elizabeth Bird can write a long, insightful interview speaking knowledgeably of artistic influences, and literary predecessors and so forth, but when we come home from the library with a tall stack of picture books, I'm really perfectly happy if it amuses the kid and me for a few minutes. I'd so much rather read a good picture book than a mediocre early read...more
I enjoyed this as a kid because of the fun illustrations and the idea that I could have a dragon who might grow as big as a house.
Now I'm reading it to my kids who like it too.
Now I'm reading it to my kids who like it too.
I love this book! It is adorable! It also teaches good lessons about what it means to believe, being open-minded, and the power of recognizing people (or dragons) for who they are.
There's No Such Thing as a Dragon was my favorite picture book as a child. Not only does it have a dragon in it, which absolutely thrilled me, that dragon is hilarious: it tries on pajamas, eats Billy's pancakes, chases after the bread truck, and grows so big that Billy's mother has to lift its tail to mop the floor properly. Jack Kent's illustrations are vivid and friendly, their cartoonish lines conveying just the right shades of emotion, and the text is short enough for a bedtime read, yet st...more
This actually was one of son's favorites and I was thrilled to find that it was still in print. A great story about acknowledging our fears and dreams.
My niece, nephew, and I all liked this book. The story was cute, and it had kind of a funny, but valid, message. I thought there were several semi-comical passages in this book, and so did my niece. For my nephew, though, it was just a story about a dragon. I'm not sure he's going to remember it tomorrow.
Super cute book about a little boy who finds a baby dragon. Of course his mom doesn't believe him! Love how the story develops and I would read this to k-2
Jack Kent does it again with this wonderfully illustrated story about a child and his dragon. Do dragons really exist? Say they don't and watch him grow!
I love dragons, and I loved this book as a kid. Now it's even better because I get to share it with my daughter and encourage her love of dragons! :)
My son loves hearing the words spelled & figuring out what they are. Dragon is a fun word to spell over & over, and the illustrations are beautiful!
A little dragon becomes a big problem when Billy Bixbee's mother decides to ignore it to see if she can get it to leave. Cute and fun.
This became one of the books that we could recite by heart, really magic. Off to the school library & we don't want to forget it.
Rated and reviewed by Dylan, age 7
My favorite part was when the dragon was kitten sized, at the very front of the book, because he was as small as a kitten and I love kittens.
My favorite part was when the dragon was kitten sized, at the very front of the book, because he was as small as a kitten and I love kittens.
This was a hysterical book to read. The kids loved that the dragon kept getting bigger and bigger thorough out the story.
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