Hush, Little Dragon [Hardcover]

Boni Ashburn (Author), Kelly Murphy (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2008 | Age Range: 1 - 8 years

Adorable dragons search for a bedtime snack in this heartfelt and funny debut picture book set to the tune of “Hush, Little Baby.”

Baby and Mama dragon are almost ready to settle in for the night. But Baby can’t sleep until he gets a treat, so together they search for one in a beautifully detailed village. But there are so many options to choose from! Will they devour the town’s magician? Eat the three musketeers? Gobble up the princess? Or maybe dine on the mean old queen? Exhausted from their clever culinary adventure, Mama and Baby dragon settle down to a good night’s sleep in this warm, funny tale.

Using a tried-and-true lullaby with a clever twist, and warm illustrations to bring the story to life, this picture book will be a familiar yet original read for picky eaters—and readers—at bedtime and storytime.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hush, Little Dragon is a humorous children's picturebook that turns a traditional child's lullaby on its head. A doting mother dragon soothes her hatchling by singing him a rhyme - and bringing him human snacks! The whimsical color illustrations add just the right touch to this tongue-in-cheek bedtime storybook. "Hush, little dragon, don't make a sound. / Mama's gonna bring you a princess she found. // If that princess runs from you, / Mama's gonna bring you a knight or two. // And if those knights should try to flee, / Mama's gonna get a bit fiery. // When you want more goodies to munch, / Mama's gonna bring you a king for lunch."
-Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Boni Ashburn hoped that Hush, Little Dragon would encourage her own picky eaters to be more adventurous with food choices. But no matter how much she begs, they still refuse to eat magician. Boni lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with her husband and four children. Visit her online at www.boniashburn.com.

Dragons have long been extinct in southeastern Massachusetts, where Kelly Murphy grew up. But fortunately, her mother would sing to her a similar version of “Hush, Little Dragon” when she was crying. Kelly lives in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. Visit her online at www.kelmurphy.com.

Product Details

• Age Range: 1 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810994917
• ISBN-13: 978-0810994911
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 0.4 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hush Little Dragon May 9, 2008

By Kirsten G. Cutler

Format:Hardcover

A ghoulishly delicious rendition of the song, "Hush, Little Baby," in which a mother dragon catches various different human beings including: a couple of knights, a magician, a queen and a king for her young son to eat, "Hush, little dragon, don't make a sound. Mama's gonna bring you a princess she found. If that princess runs from you, Mama's gonna bring you a knight or two." Another couplet runs, "When you want more goodies to munch, Mama's gonna bring you a king for lunch." The charming "acrylic, oil, and gel" illustrations glow with warmth; the serene green, blue, and gold tones amusingly belie the waggish lyrics. Cute details include a magician who is peering through his fingers perhaps in abject horror as he hangs from Mama Dragon's mouth; baby dragon is reflected in a mirror just in front of her, although none of the pictures show Baby dragon actually eating. The dragons look endearing with big bug eyes and striped blue and white horns. In one picture, Mama is holding the King in her palm, below the Queen is gesticulating while Baby dragon sits spread out on the two royal thrones. One double-spread shows mama dragon lying on her back and kissing her son, "Sweet little dragon, you've eaten a ton--Your tummy is full, you must be done!" Another picture shows the town lying quietly under a full moon as Mama and Baby dragon sleep atop a tree as the narrator intones, "Hush, little dragon, don't take fright. Mama will protect you through the night." There may be children and parents who find this book scary or offensive but others will delight in its gleeful absurdity.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious! But not entirely ...friendly May 12, 2009

By Avalon

Format:Hardcover

Absolutely the funniest book I have read in a while! The book is not entirely clear whether all the people get away (they sure try!) or not since at the end mama dragon says "you've eaten a ton" but it never says or shows details. Some parents and kids may be offended by the humor but my boys and I thought it was funny. My oldest son is usually upset if dragons and dinosaurs eat people but this book didn't bother him a bit.

A must for people with irreverent humor and for dragon lovers!

Here she comes with a fresh magician
Don't mind the taste, he's good nutrition!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Suess March 31, 2008

By Michael Brown

Format:Hardcover

Just read this book to my grandkids. It reminded me of reading Dr. Suess to my kids years ago in that the kids loved the rhythm of the words while I thoroughly enjoyed the fun content. Of course, this would be the dark side of Dr. Suess! Love the author's sense of humor. The illustrations are beautifully done. Highly recommend.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars from missprint.wordpress.com December 29, 2008

By Miss Print VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

My first thought upon seeing Hush, Little Dragon (2008), my first thought was, "Those are some cute dragons on that cover. I must read this book." The book is illustrated by Kelly Murphy and written by one Boni Ashburn. I will be the first to admit the immaturity of my observation, but my initial reading of her name was "Boney Ash Burn" and I actually thought she might be using a pen name (I don't think that is the case anymore).

Anyway, Hush, Little Dragon is based on an English lullaby called "Hush, Little Baby" which some readers might know. It begins with the the lyrics

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring."

though I have heard it sung more often with references to Mama. (Wikipedia has an entry for the song including full lyrics.)

As far as lullabies go, "Hush, Little Baby" is pretty tame (what with the lack of babies in tree tops or what not). It's also one of my favorites. That is, perhaps, why I was ill prepared to fully enjoy this parody of that song.

The book starts:

"Hush, little dragon, don't make a sound. Mama's gonna bring you a princess she found. If that princess runs from you, Mama's gonna bring you a knight or two."

The story goes on in that vein, with the mother bring her baby dragon various townspeople to eat, until the big finish when she decides they might have overstayed their welcome.

I love the illustrations, and I loved the idea. But I couldn't quite love Hush, Little Dragon as a whole, perhaps because there was something so incongruous about reading a book about eating people (albeit by dragons, which is what they naturally do) to the tune of a lullaby.... I suspect that children who like dragons will not have my problem and will flat out adore this book much in the same way I was able to adore The Nightmare Before Christmas in my youth only to find it unbelievably creepy (though still sort of neat) at the age of twenty-three. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars My students love it! January 20, 2013

By S. Power TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Hush Little Dragon by Boni Ashubrn and Kelly Murphy is a delightful version of Hush Little Baby that stars a Dragon instead of a baby. My students love the original song as well as the stories Hush Little Alien and Hush Little Monster and I'm sure this one will be requested just as much. They loved that the mother dragon brought the baby dragon villagers to eat. The poetry fits perfectly with the song making it an easy sing even the first time through.

This book will be enjoyed by kids from 4-8

5.0 out of 5 stars Do I hear a six star rating? January 8, 2013

By Rachel

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love this book, my kids love this book. I have it memorized and can just sing it like a song in the car when they are upset. it is our favorite. the illustrations are colorful and both boys love to just look and look. worth every penny to own. We first checked it out of the library then bought it and bought a couple more as gifts.