Dragons and a strong girl heroine....what could be better?

Children's Book Review by Susan Stephenson, www.thebookchook.com

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Have I got a wonderful children's picture book to tell you about! Hunting for Dragons was written and illustrated by the incomprable Bruce Whatley, and published by Scholastic (2010). I have no idea why it's taken me so long to discover it, but now that I have, I'm ecstatic. 

A little girl sees dragons everywhere, and she is sure there is one living in her house. She puts on her dragon-hunting amour and sets out looking for clues to help her find the mysterious creature. This little dragon hunter is in for a surprise!

Hunting for Dragons - as if the title alone isn't enough to grab kids' interest, wait until you check out the gorgeous, friendly and slightly dopey-looking dragon. Whatley really knows kids, and shows us the world through their eyes. His text is spare, and the illustrations themselves talk to us and lead us along the story pathway. The back cover confides: Dragons are everywhere - if you know where to look. What fun kids will have spotting dragons in their different incarnations on each page! 

I love that Hunting for Dragons portrays a heroine who clearly knows how to amuse herself. Kids will be encouraged to recycle their own dragon hunting gear, and let their imaginations run riot. There are teacher notes to accompany the book with some great activities we can use with kids as a follow up to our dragon hunting.

Here's another review of Hunting for Dragons at Kids Book Review. 

I personally love to find books where the hero is female.  Girls can be smart and strong and solve problems.  This is a fabulous little book that will capture  your child's imagination and heart.  The illustrations are fun and draw you into the text.  Place some dragons around your house and let your child go hunting.  Read on and enjoy!