Customer Reviews

You've Got Dragons

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

 

 

I read this book to my 9-year-old child who suffers with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She could identify with all the "dragons" in this story. The book even gave great suggestions at the end of the book on how to deal with your "dragons". The ideas given are the very things psychologist use in CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) to help children and adults deal with their OCD. I would recommend this book to any parent who has a child that has a hard time dealing with fears. This book can do more in 15 minutes to help your child deal with his fears than a psychologist could do in many hours of therapy.

The collaborative effort of author Kathryn Cave and illustrator Nick Maland, You've Got Dragons is a gentle and lighthearted picture book about dragons as metaphors for one's daily worries - turning up in ordinary lives and places where they are least expected! Charming caricatures and gentle advice for facing one's fears make You've Got Dragons a most enjoyable and recommended read to share with young folks ages 6 to 10.

This is a wonderful story written for children who suffer from fears and anxieties. It is based on sound and current principles of psychotherapy. It fits in beautifully with cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfullness. The message in the story is equally relevant for adults who suffer from anxiety and often anxious children have anxious parents. The book is beautifully illustrated.

I have been looking for another Nick Maland book ever since my son did a blue whale report using his "Big Blue Whale" book (written with Nicola Davies). Maland has an unusual style with cross-hatching and shadows that is enjoyable and interesting to look at.

My kids enjoy this as a story book about a kid who suddenly finds himself beset by dragons. I read it as a metaphor for what to do when you suddenly have problems.

Is this really happening? IT IS.
What should I do? Why ME? Why do I deserve this? YOU DON'T. NOBODY DOES.
Pretend it isn't there. BUT IT IS.
Pretend it's not scary. BUT IT IS.
YOU THINK ABOUT THEM ALL THE TIME.
YOU THINK NOBODY UNDERSTANDS.
HUGS HELP. TELLING JOKES HELPS.
HELPING OTHER PEOPLE HELPS.
DRAGONS DON'T STAY FOREVER.

Helpful for kids who have problems outside of their control. Helpful for adults who have problems outside of their control. I'm thinking about buying a few copies for friends who are suddenly diagnosed with cancer, which has happened twice this week.

Cancer, divorce, moving away, new sibling, rejection by your best friend, unemployed parents, headlice, puberty... any set of problems works.

This book is an excellent form of narrative therapy for children. 'You've Got Dragons' allows children to externalize problems from themselves -they aren't the program, their PROBLEM/DRAGON is the problem!

I highly recommend this book.