UN AMICO PER DRAGONE

The Dragon Tales #1

by Dav Pilkey

Draken känner sig ensam. Men alla andra är för upptagna, för trötta eller för sura för att vara hans vän. En orm som lurar i gräset får Draken att tro att ett äpple är hans vän ... DRAKENS VÄN är en varm och tokig berättelse om riktig vänskap.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dragons, Friendship, Fiction, Humor, Chapter Books

Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

David "Dav" Pilkey (b. March 4, 1966), is a popular children's author and artist. Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, Sayuri.

Reviews

[TJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the actual hell Dav Pilkey. This book starts out about a silly dragon who is tricked into thinking apples can talk. Then the apple gets sick and goes to the doctor, who offers to examine the apple rather than revealing the joke. Then the apple gets eaten, turns brown, then "dies". At no point is the joke revealed. There's a tombstone for the apple, and the dragon spends time grieving for his friend. Then he realizes there are more apples in the world and replaces the apple, the end.

Try to find any indicator on the book that this is about death, grief, mourning, and the passing of friends. A little heads up before I get halfway into the book with my kid would be appreciated.

[Muse Here · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, it's very emotionally written. My children were quite sympathetic when I first read it to them. Then, after my middle daughter's best friend died in a fire, I got the book and read it again. (She cried the first time through it) but the second time it seemed almost unbearable to her, seeing it from a much more personal perspective. I thought it was good for her though, seeing someone else feel what she is feeling, even in it's simplistic way.
If someone your children knows dies, this is the first book I would read to them. Especially if that person meant a lot to your child. This book brings a lot of emotion into words and lets the reader know that it's okay to mourn.
For a while after his friend 'dies', dragon is unable to eat and sleep and is really, really sad. It's a great book to discuss with young minds and get their opinions. It opens a lot of tough doors.

I would like to find a book, where someone dies and the living person goes through different emotions like being happy and angry and then worrying about the missing person. Sometimes I think my daughter feels like when she's having a good day and being happy, she's somehow not missing her friend as much or doing a disservice even. I would like to find a book that would help to address that. We've talked about it, but it's always better to have a direct example to discuss.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing books for children who can't read is hard. I've tried. When my son was learning to read, these books (I think there are four.) were life changing. He hated to read the plot-free stories at school. He hated reading. It was boring. Honestly, when I looked at what he was having to read, I had to agree. The beginner books were boring. We went on search for interesting books with very low reading levels. He was never going to make it to the higher levels until he read some on the lower ones. Unfortunately, there were very few easy books for boys. The Dragon books by Pilkey are fun, colorful, and exciting. They are easy to read and funny. My book-hating son started sneaking off to read. Almost overnight his confidence improved, and he grew to love books. This is one amazing book.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly my favorite Dav Pilkey book, because it digs a little deeper.
Dragon finds an apple and it becomes his best friend. When he takes it to the doctor, a walrus eats it and leaves nothing but the core. Dragon, brokenhearted, buries the apple, which he assumes is dead, and of course, a tree grows from the seeds and produces new apples to be Dragon's friends.
The circle of life isn't a topic for every great children's book, but it often makes good ones great, and Friend For Dragon is no exception. Pilkey is obviously a great children's writer and his books fill a niche that desperately needs filling, especially for the really little boys. So when he extends himself about 10 percent more, he creates what I would consider one of the better children's stories I've read. Lovely.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is a little sad. Dragon is lonely and wants a friend. He is tricked into thinking an apple is his friend. Things kind of go down hill from there.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dragon wants a friend but no one will be friends with him, so a snake tricks him into thinking that a fallen apple can talk and wants to be his friend. The whole book is built on making fun of Dragon's innocent/gullibility. Dragon truly thinks the apple is his friend, which makes it even more traumatizing when SOMEONE EATS THE APPLE--LEAVING THE CORE--AND DRAGON BURIES IT COMPLETE WITH TOMBSTONE. Super dark and sad, especially since everyone is so mean to Dragon. And saying that the whole thing is meant as a joke just reinforces making fun of Dragon and bullying. Not cool.

For: older readers who can have a conversation about the content.

Possible red flags: loneliness; bullying/practical jokes; thievery/murder; death and burial.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost don't know how to rate this... on one hand, it is rather silly when Dragon believes an Apple can talk and is his friend... but then Apple gets sick, has to go to the doctor, and while there is eaten by a mean walrus. Broken hearted and not understanding, Dragon takes the apple core home where it "dies" and he has to bury it... OF COURSE it grows... and Apples are abundant.

I am not sure the message of this book... so 3 stars? I love the illustrations, but the story is ... I don't know... without clear direction?

3 stars

Happy Reading!

[Yaser Ahmady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una storia sull’amicizia in cui io sono il dragone

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this was heavy. I grabbed this at the book fair for my 1st grader and my teens both said this is too sad for her. The ending is happy, I guess? But it is definitely a book about dealing with death. Not what I expected from Dav Pilkey.
That being said, it's well done, if sad.
I think as long as you know what you're in for, you're fine. But if you're expecting funny and cute like his Captain Underpants and Dog Man type books, well it's like the opposite of them.
This book is sweet, sad, poignant, and sweet again.
Be prepared.

[Catherine Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dragon books are marvellous. I read them to my children when they were small. They are funny and very touching. The illustrations are cute and attractive. The stories are quirky and delightful. This was a new one to me and it is up to standard.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to help me reach my reading goal for the year. It was one of my daughter’s favorite books when she was little so I’ve hung onto it.

It is funny and sad. It’s a good book for parents and their kids to read together as it might bring up emotions.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful book!

[Dan Browne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholastic’s Acorn series is a great resource for young readers.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me cry as it explored grief. I enjoyed how a trick ended up creating a true friendship.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually hated this but I am not the intended audience :P The kids thought it was fine!

[IvyInThePages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes

[Autumn Kearney · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so sad. A lonely dragon makes friends with an Apple who gets sick, eaten, and dies. I do not know a child anywhere who wouldn’t be hysterical from this type of book.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost cried

[Ryan Monson · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a snake that plays a trick on a dragon so the dragon thinks that an apple talks to him and wants to be his friend. The dragon in kind hearted and genuine but the entire book focuses on the consequences of the trick. The dragon talks to the apple all day making me feel bad for the dragon. I have no idea how my child is processing this. Then he takes the apple to the doctor where the apple gets eaten. Now it is skinny and white and still won't talk so dragon takes the apple back home. After another day dragon decides the apple must be dead so he buries it in the backyard and even creates a gravestone. This could be a story with a focus on mourning but dragon spends days, weeks, maybe months crying every day and not eating until the pain is a little less. By summer the buried apple has turned into an apple tree which should leave the story with a positive ending, until you realize that dragon thinks all the apples are alive so he will continue trying to befriend and mourn these apples as they die one by one filling dragon's life with unending tragedy when in reality he now has a great source of food in his yard.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: There once was a blue dragon who lived in a little house all by himself. Sometimes Dragon got lonely. "I wish I had a friend," said Dragon. So he went out into the world to look for a friend.

Premise/plot: Dragon is a lovable character created by Dav Pilkey. This is his first book; it is an early chapter book. Dragon is LONELY, oh-so-lonely. His first few attempts at making a friend fail. It seems, at first, that he will always be lonely and friendless. Then he meets APPLE...Is Apple the PERFECT friend for a Dragon?
Perhaps.

My thoughts: This one is super, super, super silly. Dragon is foolish and gullible...but he's also LOVABLE and KIND. I don't love, love, love this one as much as Dragon's FAT CAT but I do like it. I think I liked it more the second time than the first time. So maybe it just has to grow on you.

[Kimchi Kong · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a cute book to read to my kid. Awww, look! Someone played a joke on Dragon and he thinks that Apple is his new friend! Hah hah hah...

Oh wait, Apple is getting sick.

And someone just CANNIBALIZED Apple.

Now Apple is dead and Dragon is crying and digging a grave for his best friend Apple.

WHAT THE FUCK


And now I have to explain death and grief to my sensitive, worried toddler. Some warning about how macabre this book really is would've been nice.

[Catherine Austen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like all the Dragon books but this one is my fave. It's beautiful--funny and sweet and poignant. Children find it hilarious while adults are deeply moved by it. Dragon is right up there with Frog and Toad among the great easy-readers. The illustrations and words are simple, yet say so much.

[Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly melancholy for a Pilkey book.

[Cosette · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's weird, but for some reason I kept looking for a principal wearing underwear on each page.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be a great book club pick for work, I think the first graders would love it.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Dragon wants is a friend, but doesn't have any luck. The squirrel is too busy, the hippo is too tired, and the crocodile is too grouchy. As he's sitting under a tree, an apple falls and hits him on the head. The snake decides to play a trick on Dragon and makes him believe the apple can talk. Dragon has finally found a friend.

At home, the apple won't talk. Dragon becomes worried when he can't wake him, so he brings him to the doctor. Here, the apple is eaten and turns brown and mushy. Dragon becomes sad because he believes his friend has died.

A FRIEND FOR DRAGON is a story about death and grieving. It a rare children's story with a full plot that will touch a child's heart. Even though we know the apple isn't a person, Dragon believes it is and that it's his first friend. As time passes after he loses the apple, he feels less and less sad. This book teaches that grieving is temporary and happiness will return. It's a sensitive topic and this book makes it easier to address. It puts things into a child's perspective.


Final verdict: I would recommend this book to children who are going through a hard time after losing a loved one. It's also good for fans of dragons and stories about friendship.

This review can also be found on YABC: http://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfic...

[Colton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't vouch for whether this would be a good book for children, but when my friend suddenly passed away, we found this book in one of his bins. We had no idea that he had this book in his possession. It stood out because it was the only children's book in there, so naturally I read it.

It utterly crushed me. I have never bawled my eyes out from reading a children's book up until that point.

Whether it was deliberately left or not, it affected me profoundly and helped alleviate the pains of the immense amount of grief and guilt I was feeling. In the context of a friend leaving this book behind before taking their life, it sent the message that everything was going to be alright to those of us still living. Though I don't believe he will reincarnate in the same way an apple core would reincarnate into an apple tree, I interpreted the ending as an assurance that even the most tragic events in our lives can become a catalyst for something good. Whatever good things that may happen in the future won't erase the tragedy of losing someone special, but it's necessary to be reminded that there are still things in life that you should look forward to that will help you move on.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found 2 of the Dav Pilkey "Dragon" tales at my local thrift store last weekend and couldn't wait to share these with my class. I was unaware of these titles and was delighted that none of my first graders knew about them as well. Dav Pilkey's Dog Man titles are VERY popular with younger children at the moment so I always love sharing an author's other lesser known work with children to try and help promote the "exploration of an artist" trait I do myself (and have always done as a enthusiastic reader). Both of these titles were very enjoyable. The illustrations are cute and Dragon is a very likable character. I'm ashamed of myself for not checking out Mr. Pilkey's other work.

Also, I love that these are "chapter books". Many first graders have the assumption that all chapter books are picture-less novels. It was nice to point out to the students when it was time to read a new chapter and make predictions on what they thought would happen in the following chapter. Speaking of students, they enjoyed both of these titles very much.

[Bella · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is not clear from the cover that this book is about death. Dragon is sad because he is lonely - something lots of kids can relate to, especially now (being in lockdown). No one wants to be his friend and he's tricked into thinking an apple is his friend. His friend is then murdered. He buries his friend's body. Then he grieves. While he grieves an apple tree grows where he buried his friend. When he finishes grieving he sees the tree. It's a full-blown mature tree so he grieved for a good decade, even longer if there was no gardener or it's a slow growing variety. In all that time of grief he doesn't make a single friend. The book ends with him getting a new apple to befriend.

I can see how this could be used for children mourning the death of a loved one, but there's nothing about that on the cover. All the poor thing wants is a friend and he never ever gets one. It's pretty heartbreaking.