So much fun! [a:Pija Lindenbaum's|222712|Pija Lindenbaum|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg] books are most certainly different. Maybe not politically correct, but full of compassion and tolerance. (I'm thinking for instance of [b:Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle|1371962|Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle|Pija Lindenbaum|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312052629s/1371962.jpg|1361826].) Owen's mom is overwhelmed, There's the burnt bread in the toaster, she is late in the morning, her plants are all dry and dead, there's dust in the corners. We do feel for her. And one day, she loses it! Luckily it's only for a day, and Owen gets his mom back. I love the quirky illustrations where the details reveal some of the humor in the story. My son met with Owen's mom's transformation with empathy and concern, but at no point did he find it too frightening, although I myself was a little anxious that something realllly bad was going to happen when they Owen's mom arrived at the gas station breathing fire ...
Too bad the [b:Bridget|1539190|Bridget and the Moose Brothers|Pija Lindenbaum|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312024161s/1539190.jpg|1531346] books are not available here, we would love to read those as well. ( )

This book could be used to identify character traits because Owen's mother is not herself. So the student could describe what a normal mom would act like.

Students like the story because the mom is doing things that normal moms don't do, which is pretty funny. ( )

A long-suffering mum finally cracks. Very funny. ( )

Lindenbaum, Pija. When Owen’s mom breathed fire. R & S Books, 2006.

Owen’s mom, Bea, goes crazy every morning running around trying to get things done. One morning, Owen wakes up to find that his mother is a dragon. To make matters worse, Owen soon realizes that she has forgotten how to behave like a mom. He has a crazy day when his dragon mom eats bugs, licks the dishes, tries to eat a dog, and breathes fire.

The cartoon style used in the illustrations show Owen’s feelings of sadness and disappointment right from the start of the story when his mom is running around the kitchen in the morning yelling about being late. His expressions change to concern as his mom behaves badly in public. The illustration on the second page complements the text well, by showing the mom trying to multi-task (drink coffee, blow dry her hair, talk on the cell phone, and brush her teeth). Lidenbaum uses water color and ink illustrations.

Many children can relate to Owen who has a mom with a hectic schedule. Students who are 5-10 years old will be entertained by the way Owen’s mom behaves. They will also wonder if his mom will stay a dragon, or return to her normal self. Students who come from single-parent households and households in which both parents are working will be able to make a text-to-self connection. Students can write a letter to Owen telling him what they would have done if their mom became a dragon.