"Moore has a light, sure touch, and she gives McWilliam (I Need My Monster) plenty of room to exercise his considerable gifts for operatic expressiveness and expertly choreographed physical humor." —Publishers Weekly (March 14, 2011)
"[A] funny and creative riff on cause and effect. . . . Colorful, cartoony illustrations brim with humor . . . deadpan text is sure to illicit giggles. . . . A sandy complement to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." —Kirkus (April 11, 2011)
"The delightfully humorous fantasy introduces the enthusiastic sand architect and the happy, fire-belching dragon on the jacket. . . . The cartoony scenes contrast the usual activities of the family with the imaginary but plausible behavior of the playful dragon." —Children's Literature (May 8, 2011)
"The multimedia illustrations overflow with humorous details and comical expressions and poses. . . . True to its circular format, this book is likely to be read over and over again." —Bayviews magazine (May 1, 2011)
"Warmly caricatured people, cinematic pacing, and gleaming pages give this a look that is just short of animation itself. This is a crowd-pleasing merger of sly text and pictures that will tickle many a funny bone. Highly recommended." —Library Media Connection (October 2011)
"This cumulative tale reminiscent of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie tells of a small boy who believes if you build the perfect sandcastle a dragon will move in, and so he does. . . . The illustrations are . . . large, colorful and full of life. This is a great book for sharing with a group or as a jump start to a writing activity with an older audience." —Puget Sound Council
"This is a really cute book that allows readers to question imagination vs. reality . . . . The illustrations are stellar and I think the cover appeal alone will see this book highly circulated." —Stephanie, kissthebook.blogspot.co.il
PreS-Gr 2—While enjoying a day at the beach with his family, a boy builds a perfect sand castle and a dragon promptly moves in toting a well-worn suitcase. The youngster can't believe his luck while the rest of the family can't believe him. Mischief blamed on the dragon eventually gets the child in trouble, but that doesn't stop him from building an even better castle the next day. While the text is fun, the story is truly told through the comical illustrations. The friendly red dragon's expressions are hilarious whether he is joyfully flying a kite, gobbling sandwiches, or has his snout wrapped in a towel to smother his smoke. Readers will enjoy pointing out what could be real-life explanations for everything the boy attributes to it. Certainly "no beach bully would dare stomp your castle with a dragon inside." (But it would run from an angry dad, pictured behind the narrator.) From the delighted face of the boy when he finds the dragon, to the frustration of the parents when the creature has caused too much trouble, the story and pictures show a classic family outing. This story of a runaway imagination will make for an entertaining storytime as well as an enjoyable one-on-one read.—Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY
Doesn't every child want a dragon?Well, "[i]f you build the perfect sandcastle, a dragon will move in," and in this funny andcreative riff on cause and effect, that's exactly what happens. At first, things are perfect: You have a friend to play with, a permanent bully deterrent, a built-in marshmallow toaster and an ever-present raft. But then things start to get complicated. You have to feed the dragon and clean up after him—and no one will believe you when you explain that the dragon is the one to blame.Was thata dragon-ish cackle coming from inside the sandcastle? Be careful what you wish for! Colorful, cartoony illustrationsbrim with humor as they depict this animated boy andtheimpish dragon who may or may not entirely exist. The deadpan text is sure to illicit giggles as itcaptures the conundrum of an imaginary friend with a child's eye and provides a gentleacceptance of the mild misbehavior that sometimes accompanies imaginative play. Oh, well. Maybe it's time to get rid of the dragon, as long as you are polite about it. But if you build another perfect sandcastle, perhaps he'll come back (with friends)tomorrow. A sandy complement toIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie. (Picture book. 4-8)
