How to draw a dragon by Kate Talbot

Right from the engaging front cover, with its smiling dragon and paper wings, readers will be intrigued enough to open the book and peruse its contents. Turning over the endpapers are a bright collection of scribbles, the sort of scribbles that you might see from a toddler, or from an adult doodling while listening in a meeting. Then comes the question "What are you drawing? A dragon.” And the answer “It doesn’t LOOK like a dragon. A dragon looks more like…” encouraging the reader to inspect the drawing in detail and work out just what they believe a dragon looks like: a joyful use of imagination. The next page shows the original body with a piece of paper and a green cartoon-like head drawn on it, and then the book continues giving wings, fire and the cutest drawing of a baby dragon complete with cap, sucking on a dummy and playing with blocks. Children can guess what an underwater dragon might be called and learn about the Komodo dragon. Finally, there is an exuberant drawing of a dragon with a pirate’s hat, mermaid’s tail and roller skates! And a fire breathing dragon with a surprise!

I loved the originality and humour in How to draw a dragon. It is lots of fun just to start at the beginning and read to the end, but children, and adults, will want to start drawing their own versions of a dragon and pressing them onto the bodies that the talented Kate Talbot has drawn. I can see this becoming a family favourite with caregivers and children joining together to use their imaginations and really enjoy themselves. There would be lots of opportunities for rereading and redrawing too. How to draw a dragon is a keeper!

Themes: Dragons, Drawing, Imagination.

Pat Pledger