Quick Booktalk
Each of these two books likens a sweet toddler to a unicorn or a dragon by showing behaviors that the child shares with the mythical creature.
About the Illustrations
The pictures in these books are brightly colored and cheerful. Rounded figures are placed against solid-colored backgrounds in a way that makes the illustrations feel clean and uncluttered. The left-hand side of each page depicts the mythical creature's activities, and the right depicts the child.
Story Time Possibilities
These would be fun for a story time for babies or toddlers. Since the book is written from the point of view of a parent or caretaker, it would be a good choice for a story time where every adult/child pair has a copy of the book in hand. The repeated refrain of "just like you" in the text of both books also lends itself to some very simple audience participation. When I worked in the library, I sometimes did story times on the same theme for all of my age groups. These would have been great options for baby and toddler story time in the weeks when I did fairy tales and imagination with my preschool groups.
Reader's Advisory
These are gentle little reads that are good to share at bedtime. I'm planning to give them to my twins, who have already learned about unicorns from their big sisters and will undoubtedly be interested in dragons as well. They will also recognize the toddlers' activities as things they do in their own lives and I expect those to present opportunities for them to practice vocabulary they already know and pick up some new words related to familiar situations. My little readers are just about two, but I think kids from ages 6 months to about 2 1/2 will enjoy these books.
