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A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans
(A Dragon's Guide #1)
by
Crusty dragon Miss Drake has a new pet human, precocious Winnie. Oddly enough, Winnie seems to think Miss Drake is her pet—a ridiculous notion!
Unknown to most of its inhabitants, the City by the Bay is home to many mysterious and fantastic creatures, hidden beneath the parks, among the clouds, and even in plain sight. And Winnie wants to draw every new creature she encoun ...more
Unknown to most of its inhabitants, the City by the Bay is home to many mysterious and fantastic creatures, hidden beneath the parks, among the clouds, and even in plain sight. And Winnie wants to draw every new creature she encoun ...more
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Hardcover, 152 pages
Published
March 10th 2015
by Crown Books for Young Readers
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Start your review of A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans (A Dragon's Guide, #1)
Such a cute book! Full of fun and magic.
A five thousand year old dragon lives in a mansion in San Francisco. She is still mourning the death of her pet, Fluffy, or Amelia, as normals called her. But for Winnie she was Great Aunt Amelia and she left the responsibility of the dragon, Miss Drake, to her.
This book is a lot of fun complete with tea parties and magical Fares. Excellent book!
A five thousand year old dragon lives in a mansion in San Francisco. She is still mourning the death of her pet, Fluffy, or Amelia, as normals called her. But for Winnie she was Great Aunt Amelia and she left the responsibility of the dragon, Miss Drake, to her.
This book is a lot of fun complete with tea parties and magical Fares. Excellent book!
Absolutely charming and delightful book! Loved the whimsy and magic. (Plus there were dragons. So yes. XD)
Read this while in the car on the way to my mysterious vacation destination. Maaaybe I'll get around to a more conclusive review when I get back. ;) But for now, I'll just say this book was darling. <333 ...more
Read this while in the car on the way to my mysterious vacation destination. Maaaybe I'll get around to a more conclusive review when I get back. ;) But for now, I'll just say this book was darling. <333 ...more
Miss Drake, a feisty three thousand year old dragon, hasn't yet properly mourned the loss of her last human pet, when a new one burst through her door, completely unannounced. Winnie, an outspoken and sassy 10-year-old, claims that Miss Drake's favorite human pet, Fluffy, was also her Great-Aunt Amelia and that, in her will, she left her mansion to Winnie's mother and her "guest" to Winnie. And by "guest" she means Miss Drake, of course! As if Miss Drake was Fluffy's pet and not the other way a
...more
This book is delightful. Then again, with that title, how could it not be?
It is a children's book, yes, and the bookworm who wishes to read it must brave the accusingly short shelves of the children's section. But it's the lovely sort of children's book that can be enjoyed by everyone, whether age 9 or age 90. This is partially because it's narrated by a centuries-old dragon and partially because it's such a sweet story of love and loss and friendship. (It's also an interesting twist on the Inhe ...more
It is a children's book, yes, and the bookworm who wishes to read it must brave the accusingly short shelves of the children's section. But it's the lovely sort of children's book that can be enjoyed by everyone, whether age 9 or age 90. This is partially because it's narrated by a centuries-old dragon and partially because it's such a sweet story of love and loss and friendship. (It's also an interesting twist on the Inhe ...more
Charming! And a bit... erm... more... daringdo gristly than I expected.
Narrated by a grumpy dragon who is being invaded by a new person in her life. Since I'm a "World-building" reading appeal person, I love love loved the descriptions of places. Clipper's Emporium. The gathering near the end (avoiding spoilery specifics).
Some of the grumpiness made me impatient, but my memories of this are fond.
Took this out to the local elementaries leading up to Summer Reading 2016. It wasn't the runaway hit ...more
Narrated by a grumpy dragon who is being invaded by a new person in her life. Since I'm a "World-building" reading appeal person, I love love loved the descriptions of places. Clipper's Emporium. The gathering near the end (avoiding spoilery specifics).
Some of the grumpiness made me impatient, but my memories of this are fond.
Took this out to the local elementaries leading up to Summer Reading 2016. It wasn't the runaway hit ...more
When Winnie's great aunt Amelia passes away, she leaves the family mansion in San Francisco to Winnie and her mother, a horse trainer who has been badly injured. Amelia had been corresponding with Winnie, and has told her the biggest secret of all-- the mansion comes complete with Miss Drake, a dragon! Miss Drake is sad about the demise of her pet (whom she called Fluffy), and is a bit annoyed that Winnie has found her. Winnie is insistent, however, so Miss Drake takes her shopping to a magical
...more
Very much the first instalment of a series, but okay for all that. A nice little bedtime read, it requires nothing of you. Even the big crisis scene is not scary for kids. The foreshadowing is very clunky, but I think that has more to do with the author being a member of the facile-TV generation than anything. Particularly nice because not derivative. However, a magical school is mentioned, so it remains to be seen if it morphs into yet another HP wannabe. I hope not.
Such a lovely book. The adventure was fun, though probably more thrilling to the target audience. Transcending age, though, are all the parts about friendship and grief. These parts are touching and make the book worthwhile reading for all ages.
San Francisco is home to many magical creatures...not that humans notice much. Miss Drake, a refined and sensible dragon, has just inherited a new pet, the young and inquisitive Winnie. And Winnie and her mother have just inherited the grand house where Miss Drake lives, hidden in the basement. Miss Drake and Winnie, both believing the other belongs to them, start off a bit rocky, but soon form a strong bond. When Winnie is accidentally given a magic sketchbook, her drawings of magical creatures
...more
Far too many books written for young people, and especially for young people old enough to read on their own, but not yet sophisticated enough readers for the longer, more adult titles, suffer from almost patronizing levels of inconsistency in storytelling and voice, and gigantic plot holes that are never really explained -- young readers are just supposed to either not notice or not care that parts of the book don't make sense.
Given that I have had the misfortune to read a few of the latter ty ...more
Given that I have had the misfortune to read a few of the latter ty ...more
Dragon's Guide...
It was a lovely funeral for Fluffy, the best pet I ever had.
- Opening sentence
Avoid spoiling your pet with too many treats; however, spoiling yourself is all well and good.
- Chapter 4
Be firm with your pet and make it clear what is acceptable behavior. Both you and your pet will be happier for it.
- Chapter 6
This is a cute book told from the point of view of the dragon (Miss Drake). Amelia was Miss Drake's pet (although she called Amelia Fluffy). Amelia left the dragon to he ...more
It was a lovely funeral for Fluffy, the best pet I ever had.
- Opening sentence
Avoid spoiling your pet with too many treats; however, spoiling yourself is all well and good.
- Chapter 4
Be firm with your pet and make it clear what is acceptable behavior. Both you and your pet will be happier for it.
- Chapter 6
This is a cute book told from the point of view of the dragon (Miss Drake). Amelia was Miss Drake's pet (although she called Amelia Fluffy). Amelia left the dragon to he ...more
This is a charming, humorous story told by an ancient dragon living in San Francisco. Children will immediately see that while Ms. Drake may consider her human, Winnie, her pet, Winnie, likewise, sees Ms. Drake as her pet. And while Ms. Drake may consider her manners entirely proper, Winnie gently chides her for being a grouch. Both characters are suffering from the loss of loved ones, Ms. Drake from the loss of Winnie's Aunt ("Fluffy") and Winnie from the death of her father. At the end there i
...more
3.5 stars
My name is Ms. Drake, and the death of my pet human has brought me great sadness. She told her granddaughter, Winnie, about me, and she's going to take some getting used to. She sometimes talks like I'm her pet, so she's going to need some training. She has a bit of artistic talent, so I didn't see a big problem when Clipper gave her a sketchbook to keep her busy. I should have sensed the sketchbook's magic when I felt a tingle, but it wasn't until later that I discovered my oversight. Winnie wa
...more
Loved the reader for the audiobook. Great book to listen to in the car with the kids. My daughter (6yo) gets scared or uncomfortable when things are too intense and this is exciting enough without making her uncomfortable.
Loved the switched paradigm of a dragon having a pet human. Fun world created within our own.
Miss Drake is a dragon who just inherited a new pet, Winnie, a 10 year old obnoxious little girl (or, as her pet thinks, it is she who is inheriting the pet). I couldn't stand Winnie at ...more
Loved the switched paradigm of a dragon having a pet human. Fun world created within our own.
Miss Drake is a dragon who just inherited a new pet, Winnie, a 10 year old obnoxious little girl (or, as her pet thinks, it is she who is inheriting the pet). I couldn't stand Winnie at ...more
A fun read for any creature lover, magical or mundane. And most certainly, dragon lovers.
It's really fun to have the story told through the voice of a four thousand year old dragon rather than her human counterpart, and probably something not a lot of 8- to 12-year-olds have come across yet. I can only imagine how smitten I would have been by the book at that age.
A great story for both boys and girls, but definitely leaning a little more toward the girl side of the audience. ...more
It's really fun to have the story told through the voice of a four thousand year old dragon rather than her human counterpart, and probably something not a lot of 8- to 12-year-olds have come across yet. I can only imagine how smitten I would have been by the book at that age.
A great story for both boys and girls, but definitely leaning a little more toward the girl side of the audience. ...more
A cute read about a dragon, her pet human and the trouble they can get into. A great read for the girl who wants a dragon. A fairly simple and easy read, probably 3rd to 4th grade level chapter book.
Too much like a movie. By which I mean that I feel cheated, because books can do so much more than movies can. This is a rather simple adventure with rather iconographic characters and themes. Fun enough, short enough, give it a shot if you want to, but don't expect too much.
...more
The concept of this book is really fun, and I love the magical world in it. Sometimes, Miss Drake's grumpiness could get a little old, but she did grow on me, and Winnie's great.
...more
I unironically loved this
Meh.
Not bad, but not truly excellent.
First, way too short. The relationship between the characters, the complexity needed to describe both San Francisco in today's time and the alternate reality of the magical beings and places Miss Drake and Winnie visit, the building action, and the running gag/motif of a guideline to keeping a "pet," all deserved more than the book gave them. Everything felt rushed, underdeveloped, too clipped. I didn't believe the characters as round people. The rising actio ...more
Not bad, but not truly excellent.
First, way too short. The relationship between the characters, the complexity needed to describe both San Francisco in today's time and the alternate reality of the magical beings and places Miss Drake and Winnie visit, the building action, and the running gag/motif of a guideline to keeping a "pet," all deserved more than the book gave them. Everything felt rushed, underdeveloped, too clipped. I didn't believe the characters as round people. The rising actio ...more
This was a cute story of a curmudgeonly dragon who is grieving the loss of her latest pet, Fluffy. Her solitude is interrupted by a young girl named Winnie, who knew "Fluffy" as Great Aunt Amelia. Winnie and her mother have inherited Amelia's house and, apparently, Miss Drake the Dragon along with it. Miss Drake sees things a little differently and sets about trying to train her new pet.
It was cute, but not great, and probably would have been a better one to let my children read themselves. ...more
It was cute, but not great, and probably would have been a better one to let my children read themselves. ...more
A lovely children book, where it defies the usual dragon related stories: the dragon thinks humans are their pets. Mrs. Drake, the red dragon, was grieving for her previous 'pet' when Winnie a 10 year old girl came into her life. From then they enter to an adventure that create a bond between them. I love how Winnie is so brave and smart and how attentive Mrs. Drake to her even when she doesn't show herself as a caring one. This short book has a great moral to the story about sacrifice, grief, a
...more
I enjoyed the plot and the magic this story had to offer. The dragon thinking the humans were her pets was a fun twist and her growing relationship with Winnie was very sweet. I would like to know more about Winnie's past. I wish there wasn't so much focus on catching magical creatures because although it was the problem in the story it wasn't as fun as getting to know the characters.
...more
Very cute and fun adventure. This is on the younger side even for me and was less humorous than I'd been expecting, but I definitely recommend it for young readers but they'll probably need help with a couple longer words ;).
...more
A great title for elementary school kids eager for more tales of dragons. I LOVED the characters. The plot was fine, though I found myself wanting something more, plot-wise. For myself, I'd probably give it 3.5 stars, but for the right reader, this book is going to be just the thing.
...more
BEST. BOOK. EVER. It has such a light, humorous voice, beautiful descriptions, and a truly, magnificent, FANTASTIC plot! Miss Drake and Winnie have such great chemistry as characters, that its impossible for them to not become friends. Again, I repeat: BEST. BOOK. EVER.
cute little book. I'm eager for my daughters to be at the age where they read books like this. not too eager of course but just a little.
the dragon and the girl grow such a nice little friendship. I liked it. ...more
the dragon and the girl grow such a nice little friendship. I liked it. ...more
Jul 20, 2015
Sandra Proto
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorite-children-s-books
I read this book as a selection for a reading club for my daughters and their friends. I simply loved it!
Adorable story. Now I want to be a dragons pet human!!!
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect! | 1 | 5 | Dec 07, 2015 09:52PM |
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