Dragon Guest Handbook

By Jeanette Stampone &  Novia Heroanto

Reviewed by Margarite Igras

Dragon Guest Handbook is an imaginative debut from an author who dedicated the book to her sister for “rolling your eyes at me when I said I couldn’t do it.”  Aimed at younger children learning to read pictures at the same time as the words, the text is large and simple, and the story smacks of the E.T. movie, yet it is quirky enough to attract the attention of 3- to 5-year-olds. Novia Heroanto, an early childhood teacher, claims her illustrations are inspired by her young school cohort.

A dragon tourist may arrive without warning. You should always be prepared. Thank goodness for this handbook, with nine simple steps for the reader to follow. There may be a language barrier, but step one is to smile and make the dragon welcome. Then of course introduce the tourist gently to the family, try a human disguise to avoid accidentally scaring anyone when sightseeing, and in step 6 at dinnertime, ensure that it doesn’t eat everyone else’s food. At some stage the dragon will request to go home which leads to a difficult step 9, the goodbyes. The heartwarming ending will leave the reader warmed by the universal power of a big hug.

The text is bold and clear, with each Step located on to the top of the page in large font, a preparation for understanding headings. With one or two sentences embedded into each page of detailed colourful illustrations, the book explores language barriers, as well as non-verbal communications.

This is a fun book to read and explore further. It touches on embracing differences, developing concepts about text, and being challenged by unacceptable behaviour.

Wombat Books 2024