Looking for a fun, engaging, silly seasonal read that is secular? This is for you! This would make a fantastic read aloud for younger kids (K-2) and a fun book for older elementary kids to read themselves. The dragon in the story is dying for a snow cone -- they're so delicious and colorful and sweet!--but every time he tries to eat it, it instantly melts; he is a dragon, after all. A really fun part of the story is all of the different ways he tries to eat a snow cone, even including a canon, and guessing what way, if any, will eventually be successful. Readers will love seeing all of the dragon's antics and guessing what will finally work. Though it's never mentioned this way, the dragon shows great perseverance and resilience; though he struggles with this challenge he doesn't give up and keeps trying different ways. He doesn't get too discouraged but instead keeps problem-solving. This aspect makes it a stand-out read to me: Without mentioning it at all, we can read a fun, silly, engaging tale and teach kids about resilience. Of course, if you wanted to, it would be a great part of an SEL unit or curriculum for this reason but you could also just read it for giggles and it would still be great. I think this is a very versatile read for many types of kids and many ages and I can see so many kids being enthralled reading or listening to this one. Highly recommend to all public and school libraries for elementary students.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. All the dragon wanted was a sno vibe but it kept melting before he could get it. He asks several animals for help and is determined to get a sno cone no matter what. He finally gets one in the end.

Dragons Can’t Eat Snow Cones is a hilarious story about a dragon who wants to eat a snow cone but keeps melting it with his breath! The plot was wonderfully unpredictable and left me entertained as I wondered what silly adventure he going to go on next. I loved the message of never giving up, as the dragon refused to give up on finding a way to eat the snow cone.

The illustrations were just as exciting as the words, filled with color and imaginative pictures. The rhythming scheme was also very entertaining, keeping a nice flow on each page. Some pages had bigger text to emphasize words, which I found to be a fun choice!

Overall, I love this story because it invokes laughter and curiosity throughout the entire reading experience. It is a wonderful story for young children with a love for animals and adventure.

Thank you, NetGalley and Cider Mill Press, for the opportunity to read this book.

Quirky and lively art. This book champions the idea that if at first you don't succeed, try try again, because you never know when your efforts might be rewarded.

A bit long winded and some of the rhymes felt forced, but this was still an entertaining read.

Thank you NetGalley! What a cute book about dragons. The rhyming and illustrations help children follow how this determined dragon will eat a snow cone. Kids will love it!

This is a cute kids book. I read it to my daughter and she like it also. You find yourself cheering for the dragon to resolve his dilemma. I like how smooth the read is. It does a good idea of teaching kids how to resolve issues while being fun to read. I loved the illustrations and can definitely see myself buying this book for my kids friends.

This book was super cute! I loved the illustrations and the expressions on all the animals faces. I think that would keep a child interested in reading this book as some of the pictures were very funny. I enjoyed the story but had a hard time keeping up with all the rhymes. At some points the text felt garbled in my mouth and it did not flow throughout the story. I would however still read this book with kids as it was fun to see all the different ways the dragon tried to eat his snow cone.

This one was pretty cute overall - I'd think targeted for 4-8 year olds with respect to the overall story. The illustrations are fun and colorful and give additional detail to the story that ties into the overall flow of the text. It is a bit on the long side for a children's storybook, I found myself drifting a time or two while reading - at 41 pages it's on the longer side of what my kids would plausibly sit through. I did enjoy the use of varying text sizes and fonts to emphasize the repetitive text and visually break things up.

The rhyming felt a bit contrived at a few points in the story - which probably wouldn't be noticable for younger readers/young kids. There were also a few transitions/jumps in the story and what the dragon was doing that didn't seem to make a lot of sense or didn't fully close the loop with what had just happened. Otherwise, there is a lot of activity in the story to keep the kids engaged and ways to interact to drive their imagination.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This book was an absolute delight. The rhythm and silly story will be sure to entertain any kiddo, and the illustrations are cute as well.

This is a sweet story about perseverance, doing things differently, and never giving up. The illustrations are colourful and match the story well. My only complaint are that there were a few instances where the rhythms were off and it made it awkward to read through.

This fun tale is all about persistence and creative problem-solving to help overcome challenges. The playful rhyming verse makes this a great family read and would be an entertaining addition to any family bookshelf or bedtime reading stack. The delightful illustrations by Pauline Gregory really help to bring the story to life.

With thanks to Applesauce Press for the digital review copy, via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

My kids really enjoyed this book. They thought it the illustrations were cute, the rhyming was fun, and that the dragon was silly in his attempts to eat snowcones.

Overall - 4.5 stars

Kid #1: 4/5 Stars
Kid #2: 5/5 Stars
Kid #3: 5/5 Stars

I loved this book. The illustrations are beautiful and the storyline is fun and imaginative. Great for home and the classroom.

Magical and fun, this book should be on every picture book shelf. The story of this ambitious and determined dragon, who really wants to eat a snow cone before the ice melts, is delightful. The rhymes, and many of the word choices, invite listeners to actively join in its reading. The illustrations are whimsical and colorful, and invite exploration and discussion of every page.

The story does feel a bit long for young readers. And there are some minor readability issues [with the rhyming meter and tense-shifting], but these are adult quibbles. The rhyming, the repetition, and the gorgeous illustration all work together to capture and hold your attention right up to that fun and clever ending.

Engaging and entertaining, this book is sure to be a favorite of readers young and old - but especially those who love dragons. And also snow cones. Thank you, NetGalley and Cider Mill Press/Applesauce Press for an advance copy of this book.

🐉 We all know why Dragons can’t eat snow cones, right? Their fire breath melts it before they can enjoy it! But the dragon in this story is determined to find a way to eat a snow cone... and that’s when the silliness ensues!

🍧 The book is written in verse and generally flows well; however, there are a few instances where the cadence changes a bit, making it read awkwardly compared to the rest of the book. This, of course, is an adult nitpick that children probably won’t even notice.

🐉 Along with the delightful story, the fantastic illustrations really bring the book to life! Children will enjoy watching the dragon try (and fail) repeatedly to eat a snow cone.

🍧 Does the dragon ever get to eat a snow cone? You’ll have to read to find out!

Thank you @netgalley and Cider Mill Press/Applesauce Press for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This story about a dinosaur trying to eat a snow cone was really cute! The adventure goes to a lot of places - which kids will like (I specifically liked the pirate ship) and the illustrations are adorable!

Depending on the age of the reader the story could be a little long for younger audiences with short attention spans, but overall a cute book for parents to read with their kids. I also loved the ending!

Dragon’s Can’t Eat Snow Cones – Amanda Sobotka

I am grateful to Amanda Sobotka, Pauline Gregory, Cider Mill Press, Applesauce Press, and Netgalley for the advanced Reader copy of this title. What follows is my review of the book.

Absolutely stunning. I loved this rhyming tale and the chuckles it brought with it, and there’s a good batch of reasons why I think it’s a top notch, 5/5 stars.

A hapless dragon wants to sample a snow cone, but his breath causes it to melt. He then embarks on a mission to see how he might solve his quandary. Turning to the community around him, he receives a lot of advice based on what others know and experience. The real test is whether this advice works for the dragon. Take a peek to discover whether the dragon reaches his goal.

This book is a beautiful little gift for children up to the age of 8 years of age. It’s witty and quirky, teaching children about the habits of fellow creatures and the fruits of persistence. I thought the book was cute and spunky. I can see myself reading this to youngsters and laughing along with them as we read about some of the absurd mishaps the poor dragon encounters. Nurseries, childminders, and parents will surely welcome this comical rhyming tale to their collections, so get gifting.

Pauline Gregory hits the mark with her artwork. She brings life to the character and the story that I cannot imagine being done in any other way.

This is a humorous children’s book about a dragon who wants to eat a snow cone. The book walks us through some problem solving until we get to the happy accident at the end of the book. The illustrations are fun and bright.

I really enjoyed that it rhymned, I find that it keeps my son much more engaged in a book and adds humour to any story - although this story was very funny anyway! The illustrations are beautiful and really help to tell the story, it was quite long so may be suited to slightly older children but still a great story.

My son enjoyed listening to this book. The art was very colourful and imaginative. There was lots for children to look at on each page. The rhyming was fun and the story was sweet. Parts of the story were brilliant especially the ending. I would say it's good for slightly older children than my son, who is 5 maybe better suited for an 7-8 year old. This is due to the fact that it is quite long winded. Overall a fun kids book.