Jocelyn over at the Reading Residence reviewed Dragon Loves Penguin a wee while back and I liked what I read enough to pick up a copy when I was in my favourite book shop.
We are already Debi Gliori fans. No Matter What has been a post meltdown favourite for a long time. Read so often I now know it off by heart. We've also been reading Witch Baby and Me together, which is turning out to be a spectacularly bad choice in the run up to smudge becoming a big sister. She is going to be so upset when her little sister can't transform her into a slug or levitate the fridge.
So I was looking forward to a beautifully illustrated wee story about a dragon and a penguin. I got rather more than I expected.
Unfortunately, so did smudge. Despite her protestations that she is far to big for 'that' kind of story, she was snuggled in beside me as I was unable to read due to crying all the tears at the poor dragon with no egg.
I was/am the dragon and oh the sobs when I learnt that smudge is my penguin.
This book perfectly summed up infertility, my becoming a parent and parenting a child with additional needs. It does it gently, kindly and with the most gorgeous illustrations.
It lead to a great discussion. 'Why didn't dragon have an egg?' 'Like your broken tummy?'. 'Where has the penguin that laid the egg gone? ' 'Do you think my birth mum got eaten by an Orca?'
Smudge knows all these things but it can't be a bad thing to keep the lines of communication open and this marvellous book provides an easy way in.
It's already a firm favourite in this house and I have a sneaking suspicion it will remain so for quite some time. It turns out even terribly grown up penguins like a wee snuggle with a dragon for a story.
I'm so glad you like it, even if you did get more than you bargained for. It's beautifully written and illustrated, and that dragon is lovely, so it must be good to be her :) x
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