The Dragon’s Egg - Written by Diana Noonan, illustrated by Gabriela Klepatski -

Is a picture book that we have had since its release in 1992. It was a favourite with my boys when they were little and now is repeated aloud many times over to my grandchildren. With it’s lyrical rhyme and meter, the story takes two children on a fun and slightly scary adventure when they find an enormous egg and decide to take it home. They are soon to learn the secret of what lies within and how many days it takes to hatch a dragon from its egg.

Dancing With Dragons - Written by Amy Dunjey, illustrated by Jesus Lopez -

Is an absolutely stunning picture book published by Larrikin House in 2020. The illustrations are vibrant and inviting as two gorgeous dragons dance in the woods. When a little girl discovers them both, she is asked to judge their dance competition. Kids adore the fun and awesome dance routines in this rhyming tale of adventure and friendship.

Dragonology, the Complete Book of Dragons -

Published by Five Mile Press in 2003, and edited by Dugald A Steer, this book is a magnificent compilation that for all purposes looks like a non-fiction picture book resembling an encyclopedia of everything you would ever need to know about dragons. From where in the world to find dragons to all the many different species both Eastern and Western. This book even includes an Australian own marsupial dragon species that resembles a kangaroo with tiny wings and breathes a bluish fire. Perfect for your little budding scientist or historian, this book has all the information on dragons they could ever look for.

Dragon Skin - by Karen Foxlee -

Published by Allen and Unwin in 2021, this fabulous book is for your middle-grade readers. Set in outback Queensland in an old mining town, the story evolves around a young girl who discovers a baby dragon dying in an almost dry riverbed. As the story develops she learns to save the dragon, helping it grow with plenty of love, nurturing and friendship. It is a heart-warming tale that is also surprising and full of hope. I can’t recommend this book enough. It was so good, I couldn’t put it down and even my husband, (who never reads fiction) read it in only a couple of days.

Eragon- by Christopher Paolini -

Originally self-published in 2002, this epic fantasy adventure is best suited for the upper range of middle-grade to young adult. My boys all read it in their early teens. Eragon is the first book in the Inheritance series that will captivate you with its galloping tale of action-filled adventure. When a teenage boy finds a beautiful blue gemstone, it is soon revealed to be a dragon’s egg. Once hatched, the boy and dragon become good friends and the boy learns to become a dragon-rider and sets out on an adventure like no other. Complete with the complexities of Norse, Anglo-Saxon, German and even Russian myths and language, it has an old world charm that will delight fantasy lovers. If you enjoy the book, you might also enjoy watching the movie (2006) if you can find it streaming somewhere.

Bonus: How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell -

First published in 2003, this book has been reprinted many times and has also been made into a movie. This is one of my favourite dragon stories as it fills me with warm memories reading it to my kindergarten class in 2005. As a chapter book I read this out loud every lunchtime while my class ate. It captured not only their attention but imagination. Many a time, we would reach the end of a chapter and they would beg me to continue reading. The antics of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock 111, his dragon (Toothless) and his Viking clan had them in uproarious laughter as anything that could go wrong, inevitably did. Sadly I seem to have misplaced this much loved book, (I’ve probably leant it to someone and it’s not been returned.) If your kids haven’t read it, get it, they’ll love it.

As for my picture book, Dragons Drumming, I can’t wait to share it with you. I hope to reveal the cover sometime this week. I have seen all the adorable illustrations and they are just magical. Dragons Drumming will help your little ones overcome there fear of thunderstorms as they orchestrate a glorious symphony of dragons playing percussion in the clouds.

Do you have a favourite dragon story that you remember reading as a child?

Is there a dragon story that your kids or grandkids love to read over and over again.?

Please share them in the comments below.

We all know the benefits of reading aloud to our babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers, but what about our tweens? Once our kids begin to read independently we often forget to continue reading with them.

As World Read Aloud Day was this week, I thought I would delve a little deeper into the joys of reading aloud, especially with our older children.

But first, what exactly do we mean by tween?

Tweens are the age group that is our 8 - 12 year old readers. They have not only become independent readers, but are wanting to become more independent of their parents. They are in middle-school where hormones start to kick in just before puberty, which also means they want to explore the world and socialising away from family constraints before facing the challenges that come with adolescence. .They are in that awkward stage where they no longer perceive themselves as children, but are not yet teenagers either.

If our tweens are trying to establish their independence from their parents, then why should we still read aloud to them? Do they even want us to?
In summary, here’s 6 great reasons we should still be reading aloud with them. However I am only going to discuss 5 of these reasons, as hopefully you have already ‘created a life-long love of reading’ while they were younger.

Builds Empathy

Tweens are ready to read more substantial books with more character development, plot twists and adventure. It is through reading theses stories that our tweens are able to explore the world around them, their feelings and emotions. By developing empathy for a character they are able to ‘try-on’ ideas and concepts and it all happens within the safe confines of home or the classroom. Sharing these stories aloud encourages discussion and promotion of developing an understanding for empathy.

Improves Language and Listening Skills.

When reading aloud with your tween, you can introduce books with vocabulary that is a level higher than your tween can read on their own. It’s an opportunity to improve understanding of new words and concepts and increases comprehension skills. Gradually they will feel more confident to read more complex stories independently.

Even a tween can still have problems sitting still to read, especially when their are so many distractions coming at them from every direction. Reading aloud with them over a meal or snack can be a great way to encourage listening and before you know it, they are so engrossed in the story they have sat still and quietly longer than expected. This also helps improve concentration for other studies and work habits.

Facilitates Important and/or Difficult Conversations.

As a teacher or parent we often come across subjects that we wish to discuss that may feel difficult or awkward. Our tween, is also reaching that point where they too, are asking those difficult questions. Reading a book together can help bridge the gap and ease into a difficult conversation without feeling uncomfortable as you discuss the characters and situations in the story. Some of these topics may be around, death, divorce, alcohol, drugs, sex, social media/internet use etc. Both non-fiction and fiction books can be great tools for broaching these subjects. If you are looking for a specific topic a librarian will be able to help you. On Facebook, I belong to a group called Your Kids Next Read where parents often ask for suggestions.

In this link How to use books to spark important conversations you will find helpful questions to use when reading aloud with your tween.

Thank you to Young Book Love for providing this useful blog post.

Activates and Empowers Imagination.

Stories can take us to other places around the world, in the past, present and future. They can also take us to new or other worlds of science fiction, dystopian and inter-planetary. In reading these books, we explore, develop and stretch our imagination. It encourages us to flex our brain muscles to foster our own creativity. Through imagination and creativity grows innovation. As our tweens expand their imagination they become more curious and think outside of the box. From the imagination of a tween comes the discoveries and inventions of our future.

Is Fun.

It goes without saying that reading together aloud is fun for all the family. It is a time to come together and share, bond, comfort and enjoy each others company. Through reading aloud we can laugh and experience the world around us together. Use silly voices, vary the tone to increase suspense and include plenty of expression to make the experience fun and entertaining. We can introduce new genres that your tween may not have otherwise tried and we become wonderful role-models to continue to demonstrate and foster the love of reading that we began when our tweens were little.

My own middle-grade series The Adamson Adventures are a great place to start reading aloud to your young tween. They are packed full with fun, adventure, entertainment, historical information and opportunities for learning and developing a love of reading through exciting imagination. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a tween that was excited to meet the author of this series. He said he had bought Fossil Frenzy and loved it so much that he then went back and read the other two. They gave him the confidence boost he needed to begin reading longer books that he previously found too daunting and challenging. His parent started by reading the books aloud with him until his confidence grew. If he could do it, so can you.

Have I covered all the aspects of reading aloud with your tween?

Can you think of anything I may have missed?

Please leave a comment below.

5 Books About Dragons to Read with the Family.

The Dragon’s Egg - Written by Diana Noonan, illustrated by Gabriela Klepatski -

Dancing With Dragons - Written by Amy Dunjey, illustrated by Jesus Lopez -

Dragonology, the Complete Book of Dragons -

Dragon Skin - by Karen Foxlee -

Eragon- by Christopher Paolini -

Bonus: How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell -

5 Great Reasons to Read Aloud With Your Tweens.

Builds Empathy

Improves Language and Listening Skills.

Facilitates Important and/or Difficult Conversations.

Activates and Empowers Imagination.

Is Fun.