The Chinese New Year was celebrated on February 10, which on the traditional Chinese calendar means 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. Dragons are very popular with kids (and many adults, too), so it’s a perfect time to showcase a selection of books about this magical, mythical creature.
I happen to be one of those adults who likes dragons. My favorite movie dragons are Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon and the green-eyed, girl dragon from the Shrek franchise. If you’re familiar with Toothless and Dragon, you’ll understand I prefer cute and funny mythical beings over fierce and scary ones. And so, it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of my all-time favorite picture books is Dragons Love Tacos written by Adam Rubin and illustrated by Daniel Salmieri. Goofy and charming, this story about dragons at a taco party is definitely not scary but very chuckle-worthy (and you’ll probably crave tacos after reading it!).
On that note about getting hungry, one of the titles I’m recommending is Making a Meal for a Dragon. It’s already been established that dragons will eat tacos, but if you don’t have taco fixings the next time a dragon (or a little one pretending to be a dragon) graces your presence, don’t fret. This delightful children’s cookbook will let you and little dragons create dragon-approved dishes such as crunchy claw crackers and fire-colored meringues.
The rest of today’s recommended reads are all kid-friendly and very dragon-tastic, so check them out in honor of the Year of the Dragon. No armor required.
- 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli written by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Lian Cho.
- I am a Dragon!: A Squabble & a Quibble written and illustrated by Sabina Hahn.
- The Magnificent Book of Dragons written by Stella Caldwell, illustrated by Gonzalo Kenny.
- Making a Meal for a Dragon by Ruth Owen.
- Nian, the Chinese New Year Dragon written by Virginia Loh-Hagan, illustrated by Timothy Banks.
- Our Dragon written by Mem Fox, illustrated by Linda Davick.
New at the Library
Fiction
- Deep Freeze by Michael C. Grumley.
- The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes.
- The Friendship Club by Robyn Carr.
Nonfiction
- Choose Your Enemies Wisely: Business Planning for the Audacious Few by Patrick Bet-David.
- Tsimshian Eagle: A Culture Bearer’s Journey by David A. Boxley.
- What We Sow: On the Personal, Ecological, and Cultural Significance of Seeds by Jennifer Jewell.
Children
- Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons written by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis.
- Grandma’s Roof Garden written and illustrated by Tang Wei.
- The Selkie’s Daughter by Linda Crotta Brennan.
This is just a small sampling of the many new titles added each week to the Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries collection. Find more in our catalog, or call 360-906-5000 to reserve titles or find additional listings.
Jan Johnston, Collection Manager
Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries
You can email Jan at readingforfun@fvrl.org
