Be a Good Dragon

by Kurt Cyrus

When Enzo the dragon catches a cold, it's no mere sniffle. No indeed! His coughs and sneezes set fields aflame and barns on fire. The villagers are fleeing their farms and the townsfolk are up in arms. What's a poor fire-sneezing dragon to do? As it turns out, a royal magician has just the right medicine to help Enzo get rid of his cold. And soon, with a little bit of Abbra-ka-brew, Enzo is feeling better and ready to head back to his dragon den. Told in rollicking rhyming text this cautionary tale from author/illustrator Kurt Cyrus (Shake a Leg, Egg! and Invisible Lizard) reminds readers of all ages to cover their mouths when they sneeze.

Genres: Picture Books, Dragons, Childrens, Storytime, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2018

Reviews

[Kimberly]

Cute! (And a little gross).

[Barbara McVeigh]

Fun. Lots of rhymes. And a timely message ;)

[Lydia]

A dragon catches a cold and the people of the kingdom try to avoid his sneezes and help him get better.

Told in rhyme, this book should be in every doctor's office everywhere! It tells people what to do when they get a cold and how to help others not get sick (which we all appreciate!).

No content issues.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

Cyrus, Kurt Be a Good Dragon PICTURE BOOK Sleeping Bear Press, 2018. $17. 9781585363834

Enzo the dragon has a cold and can’t stop sneezing. The trouble is that when Enzo sneezes, he spouts fire. Enzo goes into the village to get help from the magician, lighting fires everywhere, and when he finds the magician he is able to get some abraca-brew and rest. When Enzo leaves, the little boy who has warned the village and helped the magician, gets the cold as well.

Adorable illustrations teach young readers the importance of covering your mouth when you sneeze and staying home so you don’t spread your sickness. The text is told in rhymes and Enzo the dragon talks with a stuffy nose-“I dode deed a dap” for I don’t need a nap. This would work as a read aloud, but I’m not sure young readers would be able to read and understand Enzo’s stuffy nose dialogue on their own. The illustrations remind me of Mark Buehner's work-super cute.

EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Sally Johnson]

Be a Good Dragon is a rhyming fantasy picture book that tells of the havoc a sick, young dragon named Enzo wreaks on a village. Enzo’s fiery sneezes - and his refusal to cover his nose - threaten to destroy the village. Thus, Enzo seeks out the help of the village wizard to help cure his cold. The author includes dialogue that shows Enzo’s nasally, sick voice, and includes adorable illustrations of the sick dragon. Ultimately, Enzo is told to drink lots of fluids, get lots of rest, and cover his nose.

This silly story would make an excellent read aloud for kindergarten through second grade students. Kindergarteners and first graders who are building their phonological awareness could hunt for rhyming words in the book, and do a subsequent word sort of the rhyming words. This book could also be useful in discussing hygienic behavior when you are sick. Students could create posters to inform others of what to do to cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze and cough.

[Becky B]

Little Enzo the dragon catches a cold, which may be disastrous for everyone else. He goes hunting for help and learns some common cold courtesy.

Pull this one out when the littles start to cough and sneeze and you want to remind them to cover their mouths. Enzo's text is adapted spelling-wise to sound like he has a cold, so beginning readers may find this challenging to understand. It would be best as a read aloud with an adult. Recommended to teach kids to cover their mouths in a fun way.

[Linda Klinedinst]

This is a very cute adorable book and I love it. I got this book as a Library E Book from my County Library System.

I love reading Children's Books - No Violence in them - No dirty language in them - No Killing in them - just a cute adorable story in the children's books. They are short and sweet. I prefer reading children's books or Middle Grade Books than anything else besides Mysteries.

I give this book 5/5 Stars.

Happy Reading :)

[Jessica Hawkins]

This was so good! We really enjoyed this book! It had a great message, really fun rhymes and just a really fun concept. Enzo the dragon has come down with a cold and over the course of the story we see him sneeze up a storm everywhere he goes. The royal magician steps in and works his magic to help Enzo feel better. We borrowed this from the library but I could easily purchase this for our own home library! Great read!

[Heather]

Be a Good dragon is a wonderful read for the kiddo with a cold (or sick with anything, really!). The writing is creative, with the dragon sounding like he is very congested. A great read a-loud book!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

[Rebekah Gyger]

A cute story with good rhythm and rhyme. Like the concept of teaching kids how to rest when they are sick and not spreading it to others. Not as enthused with the idea of telling kids that medicine is abraca-brew, though that's more of a personal opinion than one that will apply to all adults sharing the story with kids.

[trishajennreads]

Adorable! This book is silly and fun, begs to be read aloud with funny voices and yet also helps kids and parents and teachers talk about important things like covering your sneeze. :) Full review to come on the blog next month.

[Sharon]

Enzo the baby dragon is miserable with sniffles and sneezing, but the village wizard has just the cure, rest and a magical fluid. Perfect for at preschool or kinder story time with a "cover that sneeze, please" theme.

[Vicki]

The title was a bit misleading. It's about a sick dragon, not a dragon who should be good. This book is hilarious. The illustrations are beautiful (and a bit gross). It's a great story kids will enjoy.

It's about what to do when you're sick and how to feel better.

[Christine Bark]

I enjoyed this story greatly - and so did the children. This darling dragon and his epic sneezing fits provide a helpful & timely message about "being a good dragon" when one has a cold! Thank you for the story & humorous illustrations!

[SABRINA]

Read this in my Discovery Time (story time at our public library) for my kids recently. They really enjoyed the story line, lots of giggles from parents and kids! The poetic flow of the story is my favorite part!

[Donna]

If you like dragons and you have the sniffles, you will like this story. Cute pictures and story.
A great read-to-me when your little one doesn't feel so good.

[Gina]

Detailed and fun illustrations show what happens when a dragon refuses to cover his sneezes!

[Tracy Smith]

A sick dragon and some fun rhyming text make the age old point - please cover your sneeze!

[Jami Good]

Cute book with great artwork. It's practical and silly + dragons!
"'Our weapons are useless!' the jokers all scream." is my favorite line from the book. Hee.

[Elizabeth]

A super fun read-aloud about a dragon with a terrible sneeze. Would be great for a storytime about feeling sick, dragons, or silly stories.

[Lindsey]

This has great rhymes and would be perfect for a storytime about being sick.

[Amanda]

Found myself skimming this and had to force myself to stop and actually read it. Bleh.

[Holly]

This is such a cute book. My son loved the pictures.

[Carrienfox]

I can't wait til my toddler son is a little older and can fully enjoy this clever, whimsical book! I love the premise, and the silly, fun take on how to deal with being sick.

[D. Field]

This is a cute book. It would be a fun addition to a story time about being sick.

[AMY]

Cute rhyming story about a dragon named Enzo who catches a cold and keeps sneezing. Fun illustrations throughout. Recommended for Grades K-2.

[Alexa]

That was cute. Classic advice but fun to read because of the dragon and the rhyming. :)

[Tanin]

"I don't like it. It's a sick book, about a sick dragon. I like the pictures". These are what my 4 year old said about the book. He did enjoy the pictures. I like the rhyming.

[Shana]

For when you have a sick munchkin at home.

[Rebecca Gomez]

This book is a hoot. Lots of fun to read.