Customer Reviews

The Different Dragon

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My children loved this story, especially the dragon who didn't want to be fierce anymore. I also loved this beautifully written and exquisitely illustrated bedtime story and as a "straight" mom, found it refreshing to read a story to my children through the eyes of a boy with two mothers. Reading stories such as this will help to reinforce the fact that no matter what type of family one lives in, one with two moms, two dads, with a single parent or a mom and a dad, the important thing is that we love our children. In today's world, the reality is that my children have friends in their classes who come from non-traditional families and we need to reinforce to them that in this diverse world, we are all okay.

This is an enchanting book of adventure and storytelling. Noah and his mother Go-Ma weave a tale of a boy in search of excitement and a dragon who doesn't want to be fierce anymore. The author knows exactly how parents and young children tell stories, with input from the child driving the narration.

The fact that Noah has two moms is incidental to the main story. The book is inclusive without being preachy, and shows two moms as just another part of some children's families. All families with young children (preschool and early elementary) should read The Different Dragon for its magical tale and colorful, full-age illustrations. The fact that it celebrates difference--of both the dragon and Noah's family--is an added bonus.

Written by psychologist Jennifer Bryan and beautifully illustrated by animal lover and knitting wizard Danamarie Hosler, The Different Dragon is a softcover picturebook intended for children ages 3-8, about a boy who learns a lesson about character and expectations during storytime. When young Noah gets ready for bed, he wants to hear a bedtime story with a sailboat in it, as well as his beloved cat Diva, and best of all, a fierce and ferocious dragon! But as the story progresses, Noah feels that the dragon is crying, because the dragon just can't be terrifying anymore. "It's a lot of pressure to be fierce all the time. All that roaring and gnashing of teeth and snorting fire. It's a lot of work to scare people and be so mean. And nobody ever wants a dragon to be funny or sad or just regular. There's only one way for a dragon to be and that's that." Noah befriends the dragon, and shows him that he can do other things than be fierce and terrible - like play badminton or share ice cream. The Different Dragon is published by Two Lives Publishing, the only publisher of children's books expressly intended for kids in LGBT families; and so it happens that young Noah has two mothers, one who helps him get ready for bed (though he needs only a little help) and Go-Ma, who invents the tale about The Different Dragon along with him. Noah's family (consisting of two mothers, a younger sister, two cats, a gerbil, and some fish) are presented as simply a normal part of his life, and not the central focus of the tale. A soft-stated yet groundbreaking picturebook.

This book has a good storyline but it lost the interest in all of my kids with the writing style.
In the book there is a boy and he has two mommies and the one mommy tells him a story.
If she would have just told the story that would have been better. Instead the whole story of the dragon is interrupted with dialog between the mother and the son. That's when my children got down and started playing.
I wished I would have saved my money on this book. Even though it's great that it's a two mom story, my kids have 2 moms, it just wasn't well written in my opinion.
GREAT book for kids who are starting school is Molly's Family. Discusses much needed issues for a kid with two moms dealing with the issue in school. Buy it for your kids teachers even.

Jennifer Bryan has weaved a wonderful tale that speaks to the immediate imagination as well as a deep puncture to the heart and soul of what being a child is all about. As a Christian heterosexual family, we were thrilled with a story that presented a normal family with two mothers without pulling our children into a conversation well beyond their years.

Families of all kinds will find familiarity in the bedtime routine of Momma, Go-Ma, Noah, Claire, and the plethora of critters; brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, and settling down for a story. As parents we were reminded how empowering it is for children to use imagination to weave wonderful stories together just as Noah & Go-Ma did. While the back & forth exchange may be difficult for some readers who are used to "having it all layed out", we found it a pleasant and loving conversation. The story spun includes all that draws children in: water, movement, adventure, creatures, and connection with others. The loving and supportive exchange between Noah and the dragon is amazing. A wonderful example for children and enough to melt any parents' heart!

I can't say enough about the illustrations by Danamarie Hosler. The familiar home scenes (toys scattered, children's drawings on the walls, tables cluttered with familiar playthings) gently transform into a moonlit foamy blue sea fit for sailing and then morph to the sprawling great lawn and mountain home of the dragon. The colors are spectacular. Depictions are realistic, yet soft - perfect for bedtime. The dragon is a great presense without being frightening.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone.

Our 5 year old daughter enjoys this book. It is written for her to be able to understand the message. It also allows us to talk about her feelings and how other children may feel. Great story and very enjoyable book for Preschool (and older) age kiddos.

This is just one of those great books that reflect families beyond the one mother, one father, 2.4 children construction. In addition to giving children a storybook family that may reflect their own, it's an imaginative story about a dragon who just doesn't want to gnash his teeth and breathe fire anymore.

The book is told as a bedtime story by one of Noah's two mothers. She weaves a tale where Noah and his cat, Diva, go on an adventure and run into a dragon who is tired of being one-dimensional. The dragon admits that it's exhausting being mean, but no one wants a dragon to be nice or fun. Noah, of course, informs him that it really is within the dragon's power to decide how he wants to be.

We constantly tell our kids that we want them "to be nice because they can be and not mean because they can be" and we often talk about how you behave with other people is completely within your control. So we loved this book. And if you have a two-mother household, this book additionally allows your child to see his/her family life mirrored in the storybook. A good book for every bookshelf. Age range: more text on each page making it a better book for three and up.

After some exposition about the craziness of bedtime in a house with two moms, two kids and various pets, one mother and her not-so-little son settle in for a story. As Momma puts toddler Claire to bed, Go-Ma and Noah weave a tale about a boy who advises a dragon on following his dreams instead of feeling that he has to be fierce all the time. It's a great message, delivered by believable characters in a lesbian-parented family.

The new book from Two Lives Publishing, which focuses on material for LGBT folks and our families, features charming illustrations by Danamarie Hosler. The dragon is charming, not too scary.

As a children's librarian in diverse Brooklyn, NY, I want children to find themselves in books, no matter who they are. This picture book not only gently pushes the idea that differences are positive--different families, different kinds of strength, different kinds of boys--but pushes the idea through the words of a "very smart, not-so-little boy" named Noah, proving once again that children have the insight, if only we will listen to them.

Children will love the bright illustrations and the lovable characters, and adults will help draw out the deeper messages. A perfect book to share at bedtime.

Three cheers to the authors for giving us a different--and most wonderful--bedtime story to read. Like prejudice, tolerance is also a learned behavior, and this book opens many doors for parent-child discussions.