What’s in Dragon’s Backpack?: A Lift-the-Flap Book

Toddler-PreS–Dragon’s backpack is ready for school, stuffed with copious dragon-themed school supplies. Each spread of this backpack-shaped book displays a slew of items loosely based on themes such as lunch, sharing time, and math. Holub has thoughtfully provide all essential and frivolous accessories a dragon could use at school. “Fire stopper” spray, “claw sanitizer,” and “scale polish” are unique to juvenile lizards, while tangrams, flash cards, and share-and-tell memorabilia will be more relatable to human readers. With dozens of trinkets on each spread, this sack appears to be bottomless. The multiple flaps per page are profuse at times, but will keep curious hands busy. The cut-out, 2D-style animation pops with color and bold backgrounds. Rhyming quatrains call attention to the themes. The text is trite, but throws a lifeline to caregivers who may be unsure of how to tackle the surplus of curious accessories. There is a lot to explore here for kids who appreciate details. Those who don’t could be overwhelmed by the lack of focused attention.