Dear Dragon

A young boy and a dragon become pen pals through a school letter-writing assignment. They exchange letters throughout the school year, each describing their daily activities and interests to the other. The story alternates between showing the boy and dragon's written correspondence and illustrations of how they each interpret their pen pal's descriptions. Their letters reveal both similarities and differences in their lives, building anticipation for their planned first in-person meeting. Written in rhyming verse with illustrations by Rodolfo Montalvo, Dear Dragon explores themes of friendship, assumptions, and looking beyond surface appearances. The story demonstrates how connections can form between unlikely pairs through open minds and genuine communication.

Parents and teachers report the book engages young readers with its unique pen pal story format. Readers note how the rhyming text flows naturally and the twist at the end delights children. Many reviewers mention using it successfully for classroom letter-writing units. Likes: - Clever parallel storytelling through letters - Illustrations show two different perspectives - Messages about friendship and looking past differences - Works well as a read-aloud Dislikes: - Some found the rhyming forced in spots - A few readers wanted more character development - Price point considered high for length Ratings: Goodreads: 4.15/5 (1,700+ ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (280+ ratings) "Perfect for teaching perspective and point of view," notes one teacher reviewer. A parent writes, "My 5-year-old requests this nightly and loves finding new details in the illustrations each time." Common criticism focuses on predictability, with one reviewer stating "The ending surprise will be obvious to older readers."

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🐲 The book's two main characters, George and Blaise, write letters to each other without realizing one is a human and one is a dragon. 📝 Author Josh Funk wrote this book based on his own childhood experience as a pen pal, though his pen pal was another human, not a dragon. 🎨 The illustrator, Rodolfo Montalvo, created two distinct visual styles for the book - one showing George's perspective and another showing Blaise's perspective. 📚 The story is written entirely in rhyming verse, with each character's letters matching in rhythm and rhyme scheme. 🤝 The book explores themes of friendship and acceptance while challenging prejudices and preconceptions through its surprising twist ending at the pen pals' first meeting.