Dragon's Extraordinary Egg

by Debi Gliori

Overview

One dragon looking for an egg + one lonely egg in need of a mommy = one delightfully perfect adoptive family.

In this heartwarming story, a dragon in need of an egg finds an abandoned egg in need of a mommy. It seems like the perfect fit, but when that egg hatches, the little baby doesn't look like all the other dragons. In fact, he looks a lot like a penguin! Of course, his mommy loves him no matter what. But the other young dragons aren't so sure. Little do they know that their feathered friend's differences will save the day! Sometimes things happen for a reason . . . and some families are just meant to be together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802737670
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	10/14/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

DEBI GLIORI is a much-loved and bestselling author/illustrator of over 75 books for children, including Goodnight World, What's the Time, Mr Wolf?, and Stormy Weather. Her favorite color is blue or, more precisely, four different shades of blue: cerulean blue, cobalt blue, Mediterranean turquoise blue and warm ultramarine blue. She lives near Edinburgh, Scotland.
www.fiddleandpins.blogspot.co.uk
www.debiglioribooks.com
Debi Gliori is the award-winning writer and illustrator of over eighty picture books and novels for children of all ages, including the bestselling modern classic No Matter What (Bloomsbury) and the Mr Bear series (Orchard). Her picture book about depression, Night Shift (Templar), was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. She is also author of the Little Owl series of books, illustrated by Alison Brown, for Bloomsbury. Debi lives near Edinburgh and has twice been writer-in-residence in the Shetland Isles. Her favourite colour is blue or, more precisely, four different shades of blue: cerulean blue, cobalt blue, Mediterranean turquoise blue and warm ultramarine blue. She has sold over 600,000 books in the UK alone.

Editorial Reviews

…[a] perfectly lovely tale of adoption, difference, courage and enduring love by Debi Gliori.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

08/25/2014
A penguin named Bib asks his mother for a bedtime story, and as she complies, it becomes clear that the story is actually a family history about unlikely but enduring love. Bib’s mother, it turns out, was raised by a childless dragon who gave her adopted offspring “love and time, the greatest gifts of all,” to develop courage and resilience. The rest of the young dragons, however, were pretty much raised to be louts who show themselves to be bullies. There’s a lot of enjoyment to be derived from the contrast of the preening, aerodynamic dragons with the good-hearted groundedness of the penguins. Unfortunately, Gliori’s (What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?) tendency to wear her editorial heart on her sleeve results in big emotional moments that feel like unnecessary intrusions—the idea that “Sometimes things happen for a reason,” is a running theme, and Bib’s mother reminds him that “Feathers keep us warm, but they can’t keep cold words out.” All is forgiven, however, when Grandma Dragon makes a cameo appearance in the book’s final spread. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Rich and evocative but beautifully simple, with lovely cadences for reading aloud . . . One would be hard-pressed to find a warmer or more engaging adoption/blended-family tale than this one.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Witty, well-worded, and warmhearted . . . Endearing characters and engaging illustrations. Children will be immensely satisfied with the surprise ending.” —School Library Journal

“A family history about unlikely but enduring love . . . There's a lot of enjoyment to be derived from the contrast of the preening, aerodynamic dragons with the good-hearted groundedness of the penguins.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

07/01/2014
PreS-Gr 2—Behind Gliori's witty, well-worded, and warmhearted tales for children is good advice for parents. This story, like so many egg-themed tales, is about adoption, but there's more to it. The story-within-a-story contains gentle lessons about isolation, being different, how "sometimes things happen for a reason," and how loving others is the best cure for loneliness. The prose is often poetic: "All the other eggs were given endless gifts: fast toys; vast toys; clattering things that made a noise. But Little One was given love and time, the greatest gifts of all." The moments of not-so-subtle moralizing are counterbalanced by endearing characters and engaging illustrations. Children will be immensely satisfied with the surprise ending.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2014-08-12
A picture book about families originally published in Britain as Dragon Loves Penguin.It is bedtime for penguin Bib, but he wants a story from his mommy and daddy, a particular story about dragons, and alert children will note that he wants the very story that is in their or their caregivers' laps. In the book, dragons come to live in the ice and snow, on top of a volcano. When spring comes, there is a dragon without an egg, and an egg without a mommy, so that dragon gives fluffy, undraconian Little One, who hatches from that egg, "love and time." One day, the big dragons fly away on errands, and the small dragons bully Little One. Hurt and alone, she feels the volcano wake up and warns them all. She slides down the mountain on her soft tummy away from the fire and finds, at its bottom, an egg—which she nurtures, just as her dragon mother did with her. Bib wants the story again, so Grandma—the dragon—begins it again. The language is rich and evocative but beautifully simple, with lovely cadences for reading aloud. The spiky orange dragons have long snouts and lots of points and angles, in contrast to small, fluffy Little One and the penguin-smooth grown-up birds. One would be hard-pressed to find a warmer or more engaging adoption/blended-family tale than this one. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews