Don't Wake the Dragon

by Bianca Schulze, Clever Media, Samara Hardy (Illustrations)

In this paperback edition of the international best seller, Dragon has finally fallen asleep. But suddenly, there’s so much noise in the castle! When the page is turned, the breeze blows the door shut with a slam, and readers are encouraged to check and see if Dragon is still asleep. Then the cooks drop pots and pans in the kitchen, making a huge noise—and readers are prompted to turn the page to check on the sleeping dragon. It’s only when the castle settles down for the night that Dragon wakes up—and readers are encouraged to gently rock the book back and forth as they sing a lullaby to help her fall back to sleep. The interactive Dragon series from Clever has been printed in 15 languages.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2020

About the author

Bianca Schulze is the author of Don't Wake the Dragon (2020), Who Loves the Dragon? (2021), Just Be Yourself, Dragon (2021), and Tell the Truth, Dragon (2022), as well as the founder and editor of The Children's Books Review—a resource devoted to children's literature and literacy. Bianca is also the bestselling author of 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up (2016). She is a reader, reviewer, mother, and children’s book lover. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s bookseller, Bianca’s goal is to share her passion to help grow readers.

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children in Boulder, Colorado.

You can visit her at www.biancaschulze.com and www.thechildrensbookreview.com.

Reviews

[Carrie Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

My nephews (5 and 3) LOVE me reading this book with them. Great interaction built into the story, and lots of opportunity for laughter (and what beats little boy giggles?!?).

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

SSTTT! Sstt! Don’t wake the dragon! The dragon is finally in dreamland, we don’t want to wake them up!


I just LOVE LOVE interactive books and apparently this is one of them! Yes, it is mentioned in the English title, but not in the Dutch, and I read the Dutch edition so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Plus, coughs, I picked this book up for the dragon. Haha.

In this delightful book we meet a dragon. A big RED dragon who is normally quite the rascal. He is finally asleep and it is up to us, along with the people in the castle to keep the dragon sleeping. BUT, as you can guess… not everything goes right that evening. From a cook who is startled by a mouse and drops things that make a big big racket to some knights holding a fun party. We got our hands full! But I didn’t mind, because I had so much fun doing the things the book told me to do. From singing songs to petting the dragon, there I was doing all of that. Helping out with the party? Leave it to Mehsi! I can only imagine how much fun it is for a tiny little kid to participate in all the books fun assignments.

I had a big laugh at the ending, it was just so out of the blue but at the same time also expected. I just couldn’t help laughing.

The art was tons of fun and I really love the style and how well it fits with the story.

All in all, highly recommended to all! This is going to be such a fun bedtime story for kids!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Aeicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bianca Schulze’s Don’t Wake The Dragon is here to vanquish the bedtime blues! This clever, fun book will delight little readers with its charming interactive story and scrumptiously whimsical illustrations!

Through humorous, playful text, Bianca Schulze invites readers to jump head first into this tale as they embark on a lively quest to NOT WAKE THE DRAGON! My niece sat enraptured as she read this book out loud to me; she loved stroking the dragon’s scales, carefully turning the pages, and singing along with the characters. And Samara Hardy exuberantly captures the story with the sweetest colorful and engaging illustrations.

With its irresistibly fun interactive story and playful illustrations, Don’t Wake The Dragon is a sure to be a bedtime hit!

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Хей тихо, не вдигай шум, защото ще събудиш дракона. Трябва да го погалиш по гърба, да полюлееш книжката и после да помолиш учтиво рицарите да не вдигат толкова шум.
И накрая да затвориш очички заедно с дракона.
Прекрасна книжка за лека нощ.

[debbicat *made of stardust* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was really cute!

[Lisa Damiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bianca Schulze is a fantastic children's book writer. She comes up with clever, quality literature for young children. Don't Wake the Dragon will engage your young child. It will become one of their favorites to read over and over.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t Wake the Dragon is a delightful, interactive book for little ones. Author Bianca Schultze knows how to relate to children and her text will be great for pulling them into the reading of the book. With instructions like “turn the page slowly” and “stroke her scales gently,” listeners are invited to participate in the reading of the book. While Don’t Wake the Dragon appears to be intended as a bedtime story, it would be a great read aloud for a library or classroom read aloud. The kiddos would have a lot of fun following the instructions although the reader may have to adapt some of them for a non-lap audience.
Samara Hardy’s style of illustration goes well with the text of Don’t Wake the Dragon. They are cartoon-like and complement the text. The illustrations help children visualize the text. I love the design of the book with different fonts used for different words - another way the book invites participation.
The kiddos I’m familiar with will love this title. Don’t Wake the Dragon could become a favorite for many children. It would also make a good mentor text if a teacher is looking for examples of interactive text.I would have no problem placing Don’t Wake the Dragon in a K-12 Christian school library.
Don’t Wake the Dragon was reviewed in partnership with The Children’s Book Review. This is my honest review.

[Carole P. Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and interactive as well, this engaging bedtime story helps settle down even the most restless readers before bedtime. Filled with fun it will give any child the giggles as they navigate a castle full of noisy inhabitants all being cautioned not to 'wake the dragon.' Kids can bang on an illustrated drum, knock on imaginary doors, and shush their way through a population of knights, cooks, and party-goers until they are able to sing an adorable lullaby enabling them to put the entire castle, as well as your child to bed peacefully- that is unless you have to read it one more time!

[Stavross · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter’s favourite. Interactive, colourful and also convincing for children that do not want to sleep!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Shake-Shake Boom-Boom, you will love Don't wake the Dragon.
Bianca Schulze gives a perfect interactive story-time adventure as the narrator urges the reader NOT to wake up the Dragon. Can the reader fulfill the request by NOT waking up the Dragon?
Shake, twist, and play with the book as you try and make sure the Dragon stays asleep despite noisy mishaps and humorous circumstances.

Enjoy the equally fun illustrations by Samara Hardy that accompany this.

This would be a great read-aloud before bedtime, school and library story-time, or just a fun way for grown-ups and their youth to enjoy a fun read together.

[Maria Yankulova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Прекрасна, интерактивна и страшно забавна, всички я заобичахме 🐉🐉🐉

[Soad Altaai · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun to read

[Charlie Mayfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Every child should love this book! The illustrations are terrific and a grown up and a child can read together. Highly recommended!

[Diane Naughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this simple, fun, and interactive story! An unlikely friendship wrapped in a perfectly told bedtime story. A perfect gift for all occasions!

[Zimmy W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah oh my gosh, this really is such a great interactive read! The book suggests it for 3+, but my nephew is 18 months and was following right along with the instructions and story.

[Presley Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t Wake the Dragon is an interactive and engaging bedtime story that invites children to help keep a sleepy dragon from waking up. Through fun prompts like tiptoeing, whispering, and turning pages gently, readers become part of the storytelling experience. The playful illustrations and gentle humor make it especially exciting for young learners.

In an elementary classroom, this book is perfect for read-alouds that build participation and listening skills. It encourages imagination, self-control, and following directions—making it a fun and educational choice for storytime or social-emotional lessons.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a read-aloud book, this is it! Don't Wake the Dragon is such a fun book about a sleeping dragon and a castle full of people that must carry on with their duties. Work quietly though, because you don't want to. . . WAKE THE DRAGON! The illustrations are vibrant and the lettering throughout help emphasize the tale. This would be a fun gift book as well. Highly recommend!

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[Lauren Kerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

DON’T WAKE THE DRAGON features a sound-asleep dragon who should NOT be woken up under any circumstances! Parents and children will love the playful text, humor, and opportunity to sing a gentle lullaby. This book contains one of my favorite lines of ALL time, "If you wake the dragon, you take the dragon." I highly recommend this fabulous book!

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this to Julianna tonight. She gives it 2 stars. She likes it because that the dragon was sleeping and we needed to close the page quietly and say sh sh sh 3 times. She did not like the dragon woke up and then she was happy the dragon fell back to sleep when they sang him a happy song. She said put a happy face :-) I liked book was interactive bur I also would give about 2-3 stars.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Points for interactive format, kid-friendly illustrations, and popular topic. The story felt a bit unfocused at times--the whole part where you go to a party felt like they just wanted to squeeze some more interactive elements in there like dancing and playing instruments. I don't think kids will mind and this works well in my "breaking the 4th wall" category.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations of the red dragon and her motley companions show just how challenging it can be to keep the dragon from waking up when the castle is so full of chaos and noise. Interactive activities and lots of silly action make this story such a fun read aloud to all rascally little dragons who have trouble getting to sleep and staying in dreamland.

[Rachael Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interactive book where you sing, rock, and pet the dragon so she doesn't wake up. In between this book goes through the kingdom asking everyone to be quiet so you don't wake him up. My first reaction to this book was that it is cute and interactive. I would use this in pre-k - 1st. I would just use this as a fun interactive book when we have a gap in time.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interactive story about trying to keep a dragon asleep. They enjoyed turning the pages quietly and patting the dragon's scales. This was only available on Kindle at our library, which made it slightly less enjoyable. A physical copy would be much better.

[Vanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veoma slatka slikovnica o opasnom zmaju koji spava i ne bi ga se trebalo buditi. Ona je i interaktivna, pa će se djeca dobro zabaviti puhanjem u knjigu, kucanjem po njoj i sl.

(ali mi je od nekoliko ovakvih sličnih slikovnica ipak i dalje najdraža i najduhovitija U tvojoj knjizi je zmajić Toma Fletchera! psssst! :)

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE reading this book to my daughter. Granted, she is only 6 months old and has some time before she can be an active participant, but I cannot wait for that day to come. Interactive stories are wonderful!

[Laura Perdew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indeed, don’t wake the dragon! Kids will love the silliness of the tale while their adults will be able to relate 100 percent. This fun story involves the reader in keeping the dragon asleep, a few knights, a castle, and a party. And, it makes for a perfect bedtime story.

[sarah young · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are just obsessed with interactive stories recently. This one definitely delivers! From knocking, to singing and dancing, this story will get your little ones involved! Loved the illustrations. The dragon is such a diva and I’m here for it.

[Tirzah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be prepared to blow out candles, sing lullabies, stroke dragon scales, and lots more! A few sassy kids were purposely loud, trying to wake the dragon, but on the whole, the kids were engaged and really, truly did not want to wake that dragon!

Recommend for one-on-one and group read alouds.

[Carmen Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Dragon book we have read and it did not disappoint! I fell in love with "Who Loves Dragon" and knew I had to get the others.

My daughter LOVES the interaction, and this series just makes reading so much fun for her!

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a dragon doesn’t get enough sleep, crankiness ensues just like with people. This also has fun interactive elements while trying to keep the dragon asleep. The drawings are lovely at demonstrating what’s happening during the story. If you like dragons, add this to your pile.