Once Upon a Dragon's Fire

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book is lovely with characters who love reading (everyone loves a reader) and gorgeous illustrations, this book would be a welcome addition to any child's bookshelf. It contains the message of being brave and that things are not always what they seem. This book would be good as opener for further conversations. It also has a dragon, what's not to like?

A beautifully-written story with hidden messages, reminding us all to not judge on first impressions but look at the beauty within. Good storyline with morals for children to think about. I would definitely recommend this book to young children and their parents to read together.

This is a very sweet story to encourage children to think differently and sometimes go for things that can be a little scary. It encourages kindness, love and inclusion, showing that all of this can lead to everyone being happy and sharing that kindness.

The artwork is very cute, it's colourful and gorgeous. Ideal for the book itself, making it stick a little more with the children intended.

A whole town is bigoted against their local dragon, even though they've never seen the cat-snacking (allegedly), roof-shattering (according to some), warmth-stealing monster. All, that is, until two children demand of themselves they go and find out the truth. It's a bit cheesy to say this leaves the reader warm-hearted, for that is the plot itself, more or less – but it is a lovely and positive read, and I certainly appreciated the fold-out, ultra-widescreen, four pages wide splash page, especially with that punchline in the text (how simple, how obvious, how did I not think of it first?!). I don't think I'm completely on board with the artwork, mind – generally the images are fine, but some are a little too fussy and busy, and the golden "here be dramatic dialogue " stars punctuating the scenes between the children just didn't fit the rest of the style. So marks off for that, but this is still a strong four.

This beautifully illustrated book by Beatrice Blue should be read in every classroom and home. It is a tale about friends, Freya and Sylas. They have only ever heard negative things about dragons. When they meet a real dragon they discover he is sad and lonely, so they use the power of stories to fill the dragon's heart with joy. The morals at the end are beautiful and should be shared.

Thank you Beatrice Blue for this important book. Thank you NetGallery for the opportunity to read the book.

A beautifully simple story about dragons. He basically isn't as scary as the villagers anticipated. A heart warming tale that is beautifully illustrated.

This is an absolutely wonderful story about 2 children, Freya and Sylas, who go in search of a feared dragon
On their adventure they discover that things are not always as they seem and sometimes you can only really discover the truth for yourself.
A lovely story, with an important message of acceptance and the illustrations are amazing, particularly those towards the end of the story.

What an enchanting book! This would make for the perfect display in the library as it is colourful and beautifully illustrated, and who doesn’t love legends and dragons!
There is a legend that all dragons are cold, angry and dangerous but two children are about to change the way their world sees things. They discover that dragons need love and warmth and kindness!
Full of hidden messages for children to look at the beauty within, and not to rely on outward appearances or to always believe what they are told. This book will actively encourage children to think differently and question their world.
This is a powerful book and could be used in so many ways in a classroom or library.

I will buy this as well as the previous title for the library as I think they will be very popular.

Review to come August 28th on blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just love books about dragons and magic so of course I had to try this one. Plus, come on that cover is just absolutely WOW. And the Ex: Libris/first page is also just wow and I would love to see that in a physical copy, ah darn it. :) Oh, and now that I finished the book, I also want that last page. OMG. I just need to get this book. Yep. Definitely. Mehsi is buying this book when it comes out. It is decided.

In this world there is no fire... but there is a dragon. Everyone is afraid of him... well with the exception of two children, Freya and Sylas. They love reading about the dragon, they love enacting the dragon's behaviour. I just loved seeing these two characters be close and not be afraid. And they became even braver when things went truly south and they decided to armour up and get to the dragon. Which had me squeeing in delight and also laughing a bit because of their outfits which looked strong.. but I knew they probably made them themselves out of things lying around. Still, kudos. I wish you all well.

And then they meet the dragon, and it was just as I expected. That is all that I will say. It was a pretty dragon, I just adored the design and the colours, and well everything. And then later the colours changed due to something and I was just WOWed.

The ending was warm, firey, fluffy, and wonderful and I was just so delighted, not just for our dragon but also for the people in the little village.

The art was just WOW. WOW. And did I mention WOW? It was gorgeous and I would love more art by this artist.

All in all, a warm, magical and colourful book about dragons, fire, and stories. Recommended to all.

This was a nice book to read with my daughter, I loved the images, they were really gorgeous and helped bring the book to life, they really suited the book.

The story was well written and it had a lovely flow to it. I loved the message about finding out things for yourself and not believing everything you hear – as a mum the story was great.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, my daughter loved it too – highly recommended

Sylas and Freya love reading books about the ferocious dragon that lives in the mountains by their village, but when they venture there to defeat said the dragon, they realize it isn't as scary as they thought it was.
A wonderfully sweet story essentially about not believing everything you hear. The artwork is phenomenal, which adds to the delicate beauty of the tale. This definitely a book I would be purchasing to share with my class.

This is another gorgeous picturebook from Beatrice Blue, with another magical creature at its heart.
When Freya and Sylas go on an adventure to vanquish the dragon who has been threatening their village for so long, they find out that the stories of angry, dangerous dragons they so love reading might not paint an accurate picture of the mythical creature. Beautifully illustrated ( the illuminated dragon is splendid) , the message that it is important to see past one’s misgivings and prejudices is conveyed gently and in a way that is accessible for young readers. Freya and Sylas love stories and so there are lots of positive images of reading, which is always a wonderful bonus

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This is a cute story where two children learn that dragons are not evil. All their life Sylas and Freya have read and been told that dragons are bad. When they come face to face with a dragon they learn that first impressions are not always accurate. The story is accompanied by colourful illustrations that will appeal to children.

I absolutely adore this picture book. The message about finding things out for yourself is very strong, as is the message about how easily both good and bad stories can influence opinions. The illustrations are lovely and bold and really help tell the story in as few words as possible.

The second picture book in Beatrice Blue's enchanting new series about how magical creatures came to have their extraordinary gifts.

In Once Upon a Dragon's Fire Blue wonderfully imagines how dragons first got their fire. And it's a heartwarming story of kindness, acceptance, and discovery, sprinkled and sparkling with wander and imagination. Blue also beautifully captures the magic and joy of stories and storytelling, whilst highlighting the power and influence they can have over their readers.

I just adore Blue's illustrations, so colourfully encompassing and gorgeously warming, with each page offering new found treasures with each read. I'm so looking forward to what Blue gifts us with next.