| | |  | Books | Home » » Once Upon a Dragon: Stranger Safety for Kids (and Dragons) | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | After a thump-bumping ride on a slide, a little girl and her dragon friend find themselves inside a fairy-tale book. The stories are familiar, and there's lots of silly fun as the dragon is transformed into fairy-tale characters. But danger lurks in the form of strangers -- including the hungry wolf from "Little Red Riding Hood" and Snow White's evil stepmother. And it's up to the girl to keep an eye on the dragon, who walks alone through deep dark woods and takes treats from people he doesn't know. Little by little, the girl teaches her irrepressible friend to be careful about strangers. The winning combination of fairy-tale adventure and concrete safety information -- including the Dragon's Stranger Safety Rhyme and the checklist of rules at the end of the book -- provide the perfect starting point for discussions with children about stranger safety. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Jean E Pendziwol | | Paperback:
| 32 pages | | Publisher:
| Kids Can Press | | Publication Date:
| February 01, 2006 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1553379691 | | Product Length:
| 9.96 inches | | Product Width:
| 8.24 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.11 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.3 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.8 inches | | Package Width:
| 8.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.2 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.25 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 8 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 8 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 Very disappointingAug 11, 2009
By Debra
I'm surprised this book got such good reviews. No Dragons for Tea is MUCH better by a long shot, but this one was disappointing.
The story moves very quickly and focuses heavily on avoiding sketchy looking characters that the little girl (who looks like a boy) is already aware are dangerous. At one point she says, "You don't know [the apple is] safe; it could make you quite sick. Don't fall for that evil Queen's horrible trick." At another point they meet a fox and the girl says, "Now I couldn't remember how this story went, and whether the fox really said what he meant."
I don't mean to nit pick, but what's the take home message from that? Don't talk to people that you know are trying to trick you?
It's not really clear who should be trusted. At the end, the fairy godmother (who is making her first appearance as such) is apparently trustworthy but we're not given a reason why. The little girl says, "'Dragon! Look there. I think she might know.' So we asked that safe stranger which way we should go."
Why is the godmother safe? Why are the others dangerous? We're really not given a reason. Children lack judgment for such things and should be taught the "check first" rule instead of some confusing attempt at stranger danger. The parents' guide at the end is along the "check first" side of things, but that's pretty much negated by the story.
"I Can Play It Safe" by Alison Feigh is a MUCH better book and I would recommend that one instead.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Cute Story With an Important LessonMar 14, 2009
By Picky Mom
This is the first book in the "dragon series" that we came across. We now have the entire collection and often give the sets as presents. These stories are a fun way to deliver important messages in a non-threatening way. The rhyming text is a joy to read and both of my sons (3 and 5) have enjoyed them.
Since this book walks you through a series of traditional children's stories, it is a good idea to give your child an appreciation for the original story line. Even if they don't have that background (which mine did not the first time), they will likely still enjoy it. They just won't see the humor in it.
Enjoy!
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Everyone should read this book!Mar 15, 2006
I love this book! It's a wonderful way to learn about stranger safety and its fun too. The dragon is so cute and funny. When I was little i really liked No Dragons for tea because i used to be scared of fires. I read this book to my little brother.
EXCELLENT resource for stranger safety!Apr 06, 2010
By T. erickson
"mom"
This books is PERFECT for dealing with a potentially scary topic with preschoolers and elementary children. It puts 'stranger safety' principles in fairy tale settings, keeps kids engaged with the storyline and provides an easy transition for parents to open a discussion with their children. We LOVE it because it deals with, not only the obvious stranger safety issues, but the not-so-obvious 'feeling' kids might get when they arent quite sure about a situation - and it emphasizes that the 'not-so-sure' feeling is ok and they need to trust it. Have recommended this book widely and our library just purchased it as well. Try the other 'Dragon Safety' books too. They are good, but this one is the best!
I am a teacherDec 06, 2008
By J. Brown
I LOVE THIS BOOK!!....I am teaching stranger safety to my class and I read them this book. They loved it. They can really relate to the characters because they are familiar nursery rhymes. Hansel and Gretle, Cinderella, little red riding hood, the 3 little pigs. There is a wonderful stranger safety poem at the end of the book also. My class is 1st grade but this would be great for K-3rd.
See all 8 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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