Simon's Search for the Scary Dragon - Stephen G. Bowling - ★★★★.½

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AUTHOR: Stephen G. Bowling
GENRE: Children's Picture Book.
PUBLICATION DATE: July 25, 2021
RATING: 4.5 stars

Simon the robin returns with yet another quest. This time, he is off to seek a scary dragon whom he has heard of. But none of his friends seem to be aware of this dragon until Simon finally meets the Wise Owl who points him in the right direction.

This story is even cuter than the first book. Once again, it was nice to see a variety of animals in the narration. Simon’s exuberance is contagious and you will be as curious as he is to know the whereabouts of the dragon. Of course, I was a bit surprised to see him, a robin, approaching an eagle and an owl to seek answers. Wouldn’t he be instinctively scared of birds of prey? I was also confused about how Simon heard the stories of the scary dragon while none of his friends had even heard of a dragon being around. But that’s just me, over-applying logic as always. From a child’s perspective, the book should work just fine.

I loved the message that this book puts across: never to judge someone/something based only on hearsay. People are different from the descriptions we hear of them so it is important to have the right perspective, a first-hand perspective.

The rhymes are as wonderful and smooth as in the first book. I’m sure children will enjoy listening to Simon’s quest aloud. The illustrations are fabulous: colourful and cute in the best possible way.

If I had to change one thing about the book, I would change the cover. Though I do love that dragon face camouflaged in the tree—simply brilliant illustration, that!—the cover reveals a lot about the results of Simon’s quest. Also the tree dragon isn’t a part of the story so it will become a little disappointing for children who picked up the book by its cover.

Overall, this is a sweet story with a wonderful end and a great message. Much recommended.

Thank you to author Stephen G. Bowling for the widget, and to Valley of Mexico, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and NetGalley for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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