the dragon and the turtle go on safari review

one thing my kids love to do is "camp out."  unfortunately, they were born into parents who are better at camping out in theory than in practice.  apart from one sad, hungry outdoor camping experience, our kids have to stick to camping out on the living room floor.

everyone knows that the next best thing to experiencing something for yourself is reading about that experience.  my kids get to experience the thrills of camping out (without the bugs, chills or hard ground) by reading the dragon and the turtle go on safari, by donita k. paul and evangeline denmark.  padraig the dragon and roger the turtle are out on a "safari," toasting marshmallows over a campfire, eating baked bugs from a box, and discussing the next day's hunt for "fierce and fantastic beasts."  thanks to clever illustrations, it soon becomes clear that these "beasts" are actually the kind of animals any of us might see in our backyard.  padraig and roger are actually camping in their own backyard, imagining that the night noises are made by various african animals.

while the plot and writing of this book is not my favorite, my kids have really enjoyed the story.  it has been a great springboard for us to talk about how we can use our imaginations, what to do when we are scared and how to be a good friend.

the dragon and the turtle is available from random house for $11.99 and is appropriate for ages 3-6.

this is a mamabuzz review.  i received a free copy of this book for the purpose of this review from random house.  regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.