There are No Dragons in This Book
Author: Donna Lambo-​Weidner
Illustrator: Carla Haslbauer
5 March 2024
NorthSouth Books
32 pages

Book description from Goodreads: “In this book you are guaranteed not to find any dragons.…

A clever interactive picture book—sure to keep kids laughing as they look for dragons.

There are no dragons in this book! Wait, is that really true? There was one right here, wasn’t there? Was he hiding in the attic? What do you mean, he’s not alone? Come on, let’s give the book a good shake and see what happens!

Set in a community home with an ensemble of characters–both children and adults–Donna Lambo-​Weidner’s debut picture book filled with humor (and dragons) encourages close observation and discovery. Carla Haslbauer’s cheeky, scurrying illustrations are chock-​full of funny details and metafictional allusions.”

Need some reviews of There are No Dragons in This Book?

• The Bookshelf Corner
• Can We Read?
• Foreword
• Jilanne Hoffman
• Kirkus
• School Library Journal

As a bonus, here’s an interview with the author at Storysnug about this book!

And here’s another bonus–the trailer for this book!

Educational Activities inspired by There are No Dragons in This Book:

• Before Reading–From looking at the front and back cover: 
  • What do you already know about dragons?
  • The title says there are no dragons, but what clues on the cover make you think otherwise?
  • The cover uses lots of orange and purple. How does that make you feel? What kind of mood do you think the story will have?
  • Why do you think the author chose a title that might not be true? What do you think they’re trying to do?
  • What do you think this story is going to be about? What makes you say that?
• After Reading–Now that you’ve read the story: 
  • How did the dragon trick us throughout the story? What were his cleverest hiding spots?
  • What were some of the clues that the narrator was a dragon all along? Did you guess it before the reveal?
  • If you could interview the dragon from the book, what questions would you ask?
  • Did this book remind you of any games you’ve played, like hide-​and-​seek? How was it similar or different?
  • How did the illustrations help tell the story? What did you like most about the pictures?
• Dragon’s Lair Design Challenge: Using cardboard boxes, blankets, pillows, and other materials, build the ultimate dragon’s lair! Make sure it’s filled with all the things a dragon would love.
• Sock Dragon Puppet Palooza: Grab some old socks, buttons, and felt scraps. Turn those socks into silly dragon puppets and put on a hilarious puppet show!
• Dragon Scales Art: Gather different colored papers, glitter, and glue. Cut out scales of various sizes and colors and create a beautiful dragon scales collage.
• Dragon Dictionary: Open up your favorite dictionary or thesaurus and find as many words as you can that describe dragons! Think: fierce, scaly, majestic…
• Dragon Dance Off: Turn on some epic music and have a dragon dance-​off! Move like a dragon, flap your wings, and roar with laughter!
• Further Reading–Want more picture books about dragons? Here you go! Which have you already read? (Click on any book cover for more information on these titles!)