The Night Dragon

ARC Copy...cute and colourful (rendered in lush watercolour illustrations) sometimes just being your "dragon" self will make the world beautiful.

I recently favorably reviewed this artist's book Tug of War. I had slightly mixed feelings about that, but this book is not so much an order of magnitude greater, as it is in a different universe. It's a pure pleasure to read.

For some reason, this book did not want to download from Net Galley, but I'm glad I persisted. After three attempts it finally came down - dragons are like that! - and it turned out to be one of the most gorgeously-illustrated children's books I've ever read.

The cover looks like it's lit with neon lights, and the interior is one breathtaking image after another. Maud is a rainbow joy especially when compared with the earth tones of the other dragons. I read this in my iPad, but out of curiosity I downloaded it to my iPhone too, and it still looked good on there although the text is too small to read without stretching the image on the screen, but the pictures are worth having in your pocket!

Maud is a very shy night dragon and while her four colleagues (they're not really friends) launch every evening to spew out soot and darken the sun for night time, Maud sits and dreams. Her only true friend is the mouse who urges her to fly, but Maud is shy.

One afternoon the other four dragons have a party - Maud isn't invited it needles to say - and afterwards the others are so sleepy that they fail to awaken to start the night. It's all up to Maud! It turns out that Maud really isn't like the other dragons after all. Instead of sooty, dark sunsets, she breathes out the most fiery orange, startling yellow, deep red, heliotrope, and gold sunsets you ever saw. She flies all around the world delivering this brilliant bounty of beauty, and finally comes into her own - as any artist will given sufficient encouragement and support!
I loved this book and I recommend it as a worthy read for children young and old.

I loved Howarth's Tug of War and this book doesn't disappoint either.

We follow the story of Maud, who is a big, emotionally depressed colourful dragon who thinks she can't fly. Maud watches her sibling dragons fly every day but she's scared to try and doesn't think she can manage to fly. Her friend mouse believes in her, and motivates her and so they manage to get Maud into the sky!

I really enjoyed this book. Howarth's style of illustration is ace. Highly recommended for kids 4-7.

I know you shouldn't judge a book on its cover, but, seriously, look at this one! It's such a beautiful illustration that I just had to read the book!

The Night Dragon is a gorgeous story that's perfect for people to read to young children, all about how we are all different and unique in our own ways, and how you don't have to be the same as everyone else. It also highlights the importance of trying and not giving up, and believing in yourself and others.

I really enjoyed reading The Night Dragon, especially for the illustrations which were so beautiful and colourful! The end of the story was so heartwarming and the illustrations complimented that perfectly.

Love, love, LOVED this book. Illustrations were amazing. Storyline taught kids to have self confidence and to be yourself. I will absolutely buy this book when it’s available in print. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review!!

This book was so pretty and fun to read! The illustrations are beautiful as it the meaning behind the story. I see this as a book young kids will love having read to them over and over. This is also a cute story for teachers of younger students to read in the classroom. The pictures are so pretty the kids will love to see them and discuss everything they see in each of the pictures. Thank you to the author, Ms. Howarth, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and view this beautiful story!!!

This is such a cute book with very beautiful illustrations. It has a lesson about the importance of being yourself, and how that is beautiful. I wish the end would have been a bit more of her working with the other dragons, but it was still a cute book. It also ends with it being night time, so totally an appropriate bedtime story!

Here is a picture book that will appeal to many children, especially those who have felt different for any reason. This short, whimsically illustrated, story is about Maud, who does not fit in with the other dragons but has one very loyal friend, a mouse. All of the other dragons are more darkly colored; they breathe soot into the skies to bring on darkness. However, when Maud needs to take on the job in an emergency situation, her breath matches her colorful appearance. So now you know know why it looks so pretty at sunset...share this knowledge with a child in your life!

The Night Dragon by Naomi Howarth is a beautifully illustrated story for young readers (4-7 years). Written by Naomi Howarth and published by Quarto - Frances Lincoln with an anticipated release date 7th August, 2018, it's 32 pages and available in hardback format.

This is a gently written fable with an uplifting and encouraging message. The themes of friendship, teamwork, believing in oneself and encouragement are supported by the artist/author's exquisitely detailed whimsical art.

I adored this book. This will make a really wonderful bedtime story or reading circle book for preschool to second grade. The prose is sweet and simple. Mouse is Maud the dragon's best friend, cheerleader and partner.

Five stars. Just lovely!

🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉

Artist Naomi Howarth does the most beautiful illustrations and THE NIGHT DRAGON shows off her skills to perfection. I love this little book about Maude, the sad dragon bullied by others, who hides in a cave by herself. But she’s inspired by her friend Mouse, who gets her up and out and ready to fly. When she does, Maud creates a sunset with her wings rather than the dark sooty exhaust from the dragons who belittled her. 5/5

Grateful to the Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children’s and NetGalley for the early copy, in exchange for my true review.

#TheNightDragon #NetGalley

The cover art for The Night Dragon caught my eye, and I was so pleased by the beautiful illustrations in the story. Maud the dragon and Mouse share the story of how beautiful sunsets are made. Maud is so sad, and Mouse helps her find her confidence and soar! A sweet, uplifting story. Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #TheNightDragon by #NaomiHowarth

The need for friendship is irreplaceable, and pairing Maud with the mouse is genius. Maud is a stunningly detailed dragon and readers will be delighted by mouses simplicity and wisdom.

This boldly colored read teaches kids to it's ok to be yourself and that bullies don't always achieve what they set out to. While the illustrations will help children recognize cultural diversity, the ending ties in well the importance of a night dragon, and gives all something to look forward to.

Absolutely beautiful. A heartfelt message of how being yourself is always the right choice. This was so amazingly illustrated. Loved it, Just loved it

This is a wonderful story about developing self-confidence. Maud is a dragon with beautiful multicolor wings who doesn't believe she can fly. When faced with a situation where she absolutely NEEDS to fly, her best friend Mouse lets her know he believes in her, climbs on her back and trusts that she will be able to fly.

The illustrations in this book are adorable. Maud is the most colorful part of all of them, drawing the eye to her on every page. The text is generally kept to a minimum, which makes it a good book for early readers, or to read aloud to younger children with a short attention span.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. The cover is gorgeous, and the graphics are beautiful throughout the book! Loved the story as well. Maud is a little different and lacks self confidence. The other dragons make fun of her. Her friend Mouse helps her be brave and discover although she is different she can do wonderful things. Beautiful calming story. I think all young children would enjoy. I liked it as an adult! I give this a 5.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maud is a dragon that is not like the others. She needs to believe in herself. Her best friend mouse helps her.

This a great story for kids that need to learn confidence. The text is simple and short, the dragon names are fun, and the pictures are colorful. I highly recommend it.

This is a beautiful book! The illustrations are so, so lovely and they accompany a sweet and encouraging story.

I absolutely loved the illustrations in this story; from the dragons themselves to the landscapes behind them (particularly one beautiful spread above the fields where workers were toiling down below) it's a visual delight.

I don't think, however, that the story was as strong as the illustrations. It's a decent attempt to give a story to why we sometimes have clouds and sometimes have colourful skies, but that side of it didn't do anything for me.

The illustrations are the true star of this story, and I'd love to see what Naomi Howarth illustrates next.

The Night Dragon by Naomi Howarth tells the story of an alienated Dragon that’s shunned by the other more powerful dragons. This treatment makes her scared to fly. It’s only when her only friend and companion, a tiny mouse, gives her the confidence to believe in herself does she learn to fly. When this happens, something magical occurs. Again, the illustrations are beautifully realised with bright vivid colours, which my grandchildren both adored.

Super cute and colorful. It's about Maud who is bullied by the other dragons.

Quote from eARC may not be written exactly when published but loved it:

"From that day on, Maud & Mouse have journeyed far and wide, filling the skies with colour and helping the sun to set. And though the other dragons still try to cover everything in great grey sooty clouds, Maud and Mouse keep flying.

So next time you see a colourful sunset, you'll know that Maud and Mouse aren't far away."

Very hopeful, written to encourage kids even though those who antagonize aren't possibly going to quit. Feels like a folktale and could possibly fit into that.. or just a good book to have for anti-bullying conversations.


Downloaded from Netgalley thanks to the publisher / auto-approved publisher... honest review

This is a beautiful story with beautiful illustrations. My sons enjoyed it and so did I. We recommend it as a sweet story to read, but also a special little message.

Beautiful illustrations and wonderful storytelling. This is a story of individuality and friendship between a mouse and a dragon and would be the perfect addition to my son's collection. The story shows how being different isn't a bad thing, and in fact, is usually a very good thing. The perfect message for young children.

Maud is a dragon with beautiful multi-coloured wings who doesn't believe she can fly. She watches her siblings every night and wishes she could join them in the sky, but never tries. Her siblings are not very nice to her about it either. When faced with a situation where she absolutely NEEDS to fly, her best friend Mouse lets her know he believes in her. He climbs on her back and trusts that she will be able to fly. When she flies, she is also able to breath fire, but her fire is bright and colourful, just like her. This is used to explain colourful sunsets, which is kind of cute. This is a wonderful story about developing self-confidence. The illustrations in this book are wonderful. Maud is the most colourful part of all of them, drawing the eye to her on every page. Her siblings are darker, scarier and larger. Children love dragons and they will enjoy Maud's story. I thought it was interesting that a mouse was used as his muse and encourager, just like Dumbo the Elephant. I read this to my grandchildren. My granddaughter did not understand the story, but she kept talking about the pretty dragon. A good story for primary classrooms and families, especially where someone needs some confidence boosting. The publisher, Lincoln Children's Books, provided me with a copy of this book to read. The opinions stated are my own.

There are five dragons in this world, but Maud is different than the others. In addition to having the coloration of a rainbow, she doesn’t breathe fire or fly. Because of this, the other four bully her. Maud’s only friend, a mouse, tries to cheer her up and cheerleader her up into the sky, but Maud has too much self-doubt.
Much like a unicorn, Maud burps rainbows.
This book attempts to build confidence and self-expression—with a possible touch of gay rights—in a way that will amuse kids, especially if they commiserate. The one strange thing is that, at the end, the other dragons don’t mend their ways or apologize, or anything. Maybe the book is trying to be different—or realistic—in that way as well, but the omission is curious.

'The Night Dragon' by Naomi Howarth is a beautiful story about the dragons that bring on the night.

Maud the dragon is one of five dragons, but she is different. The other dragons fly and blow smoke and fire and turn the sky to night. But not Maud. She gets ridiculed about this and has only her friend Mouse to turn to. Mouse's advice is for Maud to be herself. When Maud learns this lesson, wonderful things happen.

I liked this story of being authentic and not trying to be like those around you. The lesson is clear, and the illustrations are beautiful.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Maud the dragon is different from her four other siblings. They were big, brutish night dragons who could fly and blow fire to create a sooty dark night. Mauds friend Mouse tried to convince Maud that she could do the same things, if only she would trust herself, but she never quite believed Mouse. Maud might not get a choice though when her brutish family misses making the night sky dark. Will Maud be able to save the night?

This was a really authentic story of being different and not feeling adequate. Maud is obviously different from the other dragons, but even with Mouse telling her she's adequate in her own way, she doesn't truly believe him, which resonates with life in ways I didn't expect.

Towards the end, after feeling completely different and inadequate, Maud doesn't really get a choice though. She's put in an 'act now, or this is going to be really bad' situation, but she had Mouse there to hold her hand through it, metaphorically speaking.

I really enjoyed this book, despite not being a huge dragon fan. It's a great story with a great lesson on individual strengths and weaknesses and recognizing that being different isn't bad, it's just different and sometimes, that's really good.

The illustrations and color techniques in The Night Dragon really brought a whimsical feel to the story and we're perfectly complimentary and I loved every single page!

The Night Dragon is a lovely little origin story of how colourful sunsets came to be. Maud is one of five dragons, but she isn't quite like the others. Each evening the other dragons fly around the sky breathing fire and filling the sky with smoke that blocks out the sun and brings the darkness of night. Maud, though, is nervous about flying and breathing fire and so she is teased and left as an outcast by the others.

Her only friend, Mouse, tries to encourage her to try flying and breathing fire, but Maud really isn't confident that it is something she could do. One evening, after a day of too much partying, the other dragons are in a deep sleep when it comes time to bring night to the sky, so Maud must try to face her fears. When she does, she's surprised to discover not only that she can fly and breath fire, but that her fire creates colourful smoke that fills the sky with beautiful streaks.

This is a sweet little story about facing fears and having friends who believe in you, and I wouldn't mind reading night after night. 4.5 stars rounded up for this beautiful story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens for providing me with a DRC of this book.

I really enjoyed reading The Night Dragon. Maud was a very likable character, but Mouse was the true star of this story. When his friend was down, he helped them find the courage to take a chance. It ended up taking both of them on an exciting adventure to all kinds of breath taking places. Along the way, Maud finds out that she is different from the other dragons and that is what makes her special.

A simply stunning book that proves you can do anything you set your mind to and it will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart.

This book very much reminds me of Dumbo, except we have a dragon that can not fly instead of an elephant. What makes the pairing is the little mouse telling them that they can do anything they set their minds too. This book has wonderfully colorful and unique illustrations. And the story, while a bit long winded, is perfectly attuned to the message it is sending. I hope for this to be a new classic.

love the premise, a Kiplingesque “Just So” story, where a sort of fable explains a natural phenomenon, such as “How the Camel Got His Hump”. This is a story to explain how we got the night sky, sometimes dark and dull, and sometimes with vivid colours. I especially love the illustrations. I'm sorry I can't include them here, but please see my Goodreads review which shows several of them to give you an idea.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of Maud on a mountaintop.]
"On top of a very high mountain, in a land far away, lived a dragon."

There are wonderful/terrible silly, plainly-coloured night dragons, the fat, fire-belching behemoths that fly off into the night air every night, breathing out great, grey clouds to darken the sky at the end of the day. Maud, on the other hand, is so deliciously coloured she looks positively edible, like an ice-cream sundae covered with sauces!

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of Maud watching all the other dragons fly at night.]
“Every evening, when the sun was low in the sky, Delbert, Gar, Brimlad and Nelda would wake up from a long sleep. They would swoop into the air, breathing huge flames of fire, and fill the sky with great grey, sooty clouds. As these clouds covered the sun, darkness would fall, and day would turn to night.”

They tease Maud, saying she’s too weak to fly. But Maud’s little mate, Mouse, isn’t convinced. He reckons if she puts her mind to it, she can do it.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of the night dragons partying without Maud.]
One day, after a very long, happy birthday party (to which Maud wasn't invited!), the night dragons slept past the end of the day and night wasn't coming!

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of the night dragons sound asleep and Maud looking worriedly at the bright sun that isn't setting.]
They obviously aren't going to be fit to fly anytime soon.

Poor Maud doesn't know what to do!

Ah, but that's where it's good to have a sidekick who believes in you! Mouse tells her he will stay with her, she can do it. Just step off the mountain and fly!

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of Maud flying with Mouse!]
"With Mouse’s words in her ear, Maud felt a little bit braver. There was only one thing for it…"

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of Maud and Mouse flying over farms.]
And off they go, across the countryside, spreading a glorious sunset.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of Maud and Mouse flying over the city.]
And across the city.

The landscapes and cityscapes are busy and delightful.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of Maud and Mouse resting and debriefing.]
“'Thank you for believing in me, Mouse,' said Maud.
"Thank you for the adventure,' he squeaked. 'I rather like being a flying mouse! And look how beautiful you have made everything, just by being yourself.'"

Of course, we'll still have some plainer dark nights. The other night dragons eventually wake up, but "next time you see a colourful sunset, you’ll know that Maud and Mouse aren’t far away."
[My Goodreads review includes an illustration of the night dragons puffing out some wispy grey clouds while Maud and Mouse soar through the evening sky.]

I may never look at a sunset again without thinking of night dragons! Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing's Lincoln Children's Books for the glorious preview copy that I just had to share pictures from. It would be a wonderful gift book for children to spot all the little people and creatures in each picture and hope Maud and Mouse will remind them to be their best selves.

Maud the dragon is not the other dragons. She is constantly made fun of and left out of things. But she has one little friend who believes in her and convinces her to move outside of her comfort zone and into something bigger.

This is a cute little story about finding your self-confidence and expanding into greater and bigger things! My boys enjoyed this story as well.

Lovely little book - great moral message and the illustrations are colourful. I think this would make a perfect bedtime story!

I love a simple, few words children's story. Not only because it means they are quick to read before bed to children (no one really wants to read all the words in Dr. Seuss every night, let's just admit that to ourselves now) but because they are stories that children can learn and remember. I love when a child sits next to me and knows the next words on the page. Not because they can 'read' them but because they are simply, yet memorable enough to be worthy of a rapid child's mind remembering. This is the beginning of a relationship with words and reading that I always wish every child and adult could have. The Night Dragon is exactly this kind of simple; yet wonderful story.

The Illustrations
So much colour! If dragons don't already lend themselves to gorgeous children's book illustrations; Howarth takes it to another level by adding such vibrant colour and detail to each page. Whether it's in the dragons themselves (especially our rainbow gal) or in the landscapes and sky that is the setting.
While the story of a children's book is very important, we might as well face it, both adults and children need to have interesting and engaging artwork as well. If the art of the book isn't as good or better than the story then children won't be leaning over to see the pages and point out little details in each illustration. Words are engaging for so many of us; but for children, storytelling and understanding starts with the pictures. Pictures are after all something kids can understand without needing to learn any letters, words, grammar or context.

The Story
Let's not pretend here, this is really the age old story of the Ugly Duckling or Rudolph. It's the story of a misfit who doesn't fit in. And yet this take on the story is so sweet and lovely that I can't find any reason to criticize the choice of core story.
As all stories of misfits go, one day/night things don't go the way they usually do and so the lead character (Maud the rainbow dragon) must find her courage and lift herself into the sky to help the sun go down. The use of the beautiful colours of a sunset sky is clever here by Howarth and I commend her for finding a bit of magic in daily life on earth. The next time I see a beautiful sunset I am sure to think of Maud the Dragon and her friend Mouse who courageously bring those colours to the sky before the night descends.

Gender
The only downfall of this story in my mind is that there is a bit of a gender barrier put up by the night dragons all being boys (as far as I can tell) and our lead rainbow dragon being a girl. This may have been intentional by Howarth to speak of women's role in the world being as important as men's. However I would have preferred if our dragons had remained gender neutral. As then the idea of all dragons being boys or all rainbow creatures relating to girls wouldn't be reinforced here. It may be subtle but I do believe these types of small things are large influences (besides the obvious ones) for children to divide our world into boy and girl things.

Overall
I plan to purchase this book for at least two families of toddlers I am close with. It's simple story is always worth telling. One family has two boys and the other two girls. I see no reason why this story can't be relevant and important to both of them. It may be that the girls will take to it quicker than the boys; but I hope that is not the case. No matter how you feel about the gender divide in The Night Dragon I am confident everyone will agree that the story of a misfit finding their place in the world amongst daily beauty is one that is worthy of being told and read. I would happily read this story each night for months on end to a child who requests it; and I do believe they will fall in love with it and ask for it again and again.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

A good family bedtime read book.

The illustrations are beautiful water colour rendered magical imagery that children will fall in love with.

An adorable children's book! The story was a cute and the artwork was beautiful. This one should definitely be an immediate addition to the family library. I will definitely be adding it to mine personal collection of books to read to my nieces and nephews, they will adore it.

A lovely children's book about a rainbow-colored dragon who soars through the sky with her best Mouse friend, bringing beautiful colors to the sky. Love the soft colors in the illustrations.

A sweet story about a dragon that is different from its siblings and teased by them because of it. Lacking confidence, she hides away in a cave, but her friend Mouse encourages her to try and she does with amazing results! Artist Naomi Howarth, depicts Maude the dragon in beautifully rendered watercolor that will undoubtedly become a childhood favorite.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
#TheNightDragon #NetGalley