Be a Good Dragon

PreS-Gr 2—When Enzo the dragon gets sick, nothing but trouble follows him. Unable to stave off his accidental attacks of fire-breathing sneezes, the neighborhood wizard tricks the dragon into getting some sleep and getting rid of his cold. Cyrus's rhyming text is consistent in its rhythm and word choice, and filled with humorous lines like "Warn all the people! Sound the alarm! Pack up your piggies and flee from your farm!" The accompanying artwork certainly gets the job done, but if there's any criticism to be found, it's that the illustrations are perhaps too traditional. Although it does convey the action of the story and the many humorous moments, like Enzo sneezing corn into popcorn, the characters seem rather flat on the page with nothing really jumping out to readers, which doesn't seem to match the outrageous and comedic nature of the story. That aside, kids will love the silliness of Enzo's journey and will forever remember that if they are going to sneeze, "be a good dragon and cover it, please."