First sentence: So here is our dragon! Our dragon is little. He's almost brand-new! And his favorite thing--how I wish it weren't true--is breathing out fire wherever he goes. It comes from his mouth, and it comes from his nose! He doesn't say sorry. He doesn't know how. So his parents say firmly. "Please listen, right now."

Premise/plot: These two human parents are super-frustrated with their new dragon. (Why did they get a baby dragon if they weren't prepared to deal with a baby dragon????) In particular, they get angry that their dragon, their baby dragon, breathes fire. As they continue to try to teach him manners, how to control himself, etc, they continued to scold and express their disappointment. After the baby dragon is crying, then they decide perhaps a little comfort is not out of place. The end.

My thoughts: I did NOT like this one even slightly. Though if I had to pick something to praise about it, it would be the illustrations. I over-think picture books. It's what I do. I read a picture book and take it way too seriously. I think of dozens of questions that pull apart the book's logic and reason.

In this instance, why are two humans adopting a dragon? Isn't this sending the wrong message about adoption? I'm 99.99% certain that was not the intent. So is the dragon a stand-in for ANY new baby? And if that's the case--which the jacket flap tends to suggest--WHAT on earth is the fire supposed to correlate with???? Fire is literally a hazard--to them, to their house, to everything. And it's something they would have had to known about before bringing it into their home. So obviously they weren't thinking or planning ahead. Fire also seems as natural as breathing to a dragon...so them scolding and reprimanding the dragon until it cries seems not only counterproductive but just plain cruel. It accomplishes nothing useful and is harmful to bonding. Is the fire supposed to represent the messes baby naturally makes? that any and every baby makes? If so, it just seems weird and well, WEIRD.

I didn't like these two as parents.

The rhyming felt HORRIBLE in a forced, un-rhythmic way. Like WHY does it have to be told in rhyme like this???? ( )