Have You Seen My Dragon?

by Steve Light

Hardcover, 2014

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Genres

Children's Books

Collection

Your library

Publication

Candlewick (2014), 48 pages

Description

In the heart of the city, among the taxis and towers, a small boy travels uptown and down, searching for his friend. Readers will certainly spot the glorious beast, plus an array of big-city icons they can count. Is the dragon taking the crosstown bus, or breathing his fiery breath below a busy street? Maybe he took a taxi to the zoo or is playing with the dogs in the park.

User reviews

LibraryThing member krmajor

Finding your pet dragon—despite its prodigious size—can be a lot of work. When a young boy realizes his dragon is gone, he sets out on a quest through New York City to find his dragon friend. As he traipses through the city, he wonders what his dragon might be up to; is he eating a dragon-sized

ice cream cone or romping with dogs in the park? Or maybe he caught a lift on a bus?

This book presents a marvelous counting opportunity for younger readers; the corner of each page has the item name and quantity to alert readers of what they should be counting. Additionally, the bold ink illustrations of the countable items are splashed with highlights of color so that those counting are able to find the items without anxiety in the extremely detailed spreads. For older readers, the complexity of the illustrations will give them an opportunity to search out fun and hidden details. Ultimately, as the title suggests, readers of all ages will be amused to see the bizarre locales the dragon pops up and the even more outlandish antics he gets in to. At the end of the narrator’s journey, readers will likely earnestly ask to reread the story, just as eager to sleuth for the dragon all over again. Highly recommended. Grades pre-K to 2.

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LibraryThing member rpazmino-calligan

I thought this was a really great counting book. The book is about a boy looking for his dragon, and the counting corresponds to where he is looking for his dragon. The illustrations were unique, as they are black and the things being counted are colored on each page.

LibraryThing member WindyB

This counting book chronicles a boy's search of his lost dragon. The pictures are all done in black and white except for the number the book is counting. The dragon is always hiding somewhere in the pictures, that sometimes have to be turned sideways or upside down to see. In the end the boy finds

his dragon when he gets to the number 20.

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LibraryThing member EmilyDrennan

Not only is Have You Seen My Dragon a story about a little boy looking for his dragon, it is also a counting book. Each page is illustrated in black and white, but there are some aspects drawn in color. The book counts up from 1 to 20, and on the first page there is one item colored. On the next

page there are 2 items colored and so on. I found this very interesting because the reader was able to pick out the item they were looking for by finding the colors. The illustrations of this book grabbed my attention immediately and I really enjoyed them. The boy goes all over the city looking for his dragon, and the reader is able to see so many different areas of the city. This book helps the reader visualize what they are counting along with helping the boy find his dragon. I would definitely recommend reading this book to a class and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it would be fun for a class to draw a picture in black and white, but then pick one item to be colored.

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LibraryThing member Sullywriter

An imaginative counting book with beautiful, ornate illustration.

LibraryThing member burtmiller

A- Great Book! The illustrations have incredible detail, but it's not the kind you're forced to sit and stare at; if you want to pore over it, you can, but the clever use of color means you can also keep reading without getting overwhelmed.

LibraryThing member mirikayla

I am a sucker for well-deployed color, especially when the shades are so vibrant (nothing kills illustration for me like dull or pale coloring). I also loved the other book of Steve Light's that I've read, The Christmas Giant, so this begins to solidify my impression of his work.

LibraryThing member mrsdanaalbasha

I just adore kids books, every now and then, I buy a few, I like the concept, the art and illustrations, the imagination and simplicity; this one is a gem. If I had kids I would love to read this book to them and encourage them to imitate the art and create their own city.

LibraryThing member mrsdanaalbasha

LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26

A young New Yorker goes in search of his dragon in this delightful counting book/city travelogue, making his way past twenty iconic city sights during the course of his journey. From a hot-dog stand to the harbor, the park to the book stall, the boy searches high and low, as the number of objects

being counted in the background - ten paint cans, fifteen balloons - grows steadily larger. Eventually, the dragon is discovered just where he ought to be...

I enjoyed Have You Seen My Dragon?, which functions on a number of different of levels, offering a creative tale of a boy and 'his' dragon, an entertaining exploration of lower Manhattan, and a successful counting book, all in one. Steve Light's detailed artwork, done primarily in black pen, with color accents on each page, is immensely appealing, reminding me a bit of Who Needs Donuts? (although a bit less frenetic than that earlier title!). I liked the fact that the objects being counted are the ones in color, as this aids the reader's perusal. I also liked the eventual location of the dragon - very appropriate. Recommended to anyone looking for fun picture-books with a New York theme, or for creative counting books.

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LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV

Oh! Much too fun & exciting; I'm only halfway done and I'm having to catch my breath.

I want to own a copy just so I can color in the pages. I mean, I know that the colored bits are of the countable objects, as this is a counting book, but I still want to color the rest of the buildings, cars,

people, pigeons, etc. Maybe the artist has some coloring pp on a website...

And I'm learning a bit about the city, too - making me realize just how wonderful a picture book can be that doesn't take place on farm or suburb. I'm familiar with small-town water towers on the prairie - but it never occurred to me that ppl in cities use water towers, too, so they have enough pressure for faucets....

Love the apes at the zoo. Look carefully. Heck, look carefully, whether or not you're familiar with city life.... Apparently it's distinctly NYC, and those in the know can use the maps in the endpaper to find their way among icons and landmarks....

(ok, done)

I also appreciate that the counting goes up to the number 20.
Only 2 changes would be needed, imo, to make it a five star book. The colored items could be structured to make it a concept book for colors (perhaps as roygbiv) so it could be used for both colors and counting, and the titles (13 Ice-Cream Cones) could be omitted or moved to an end-note, to make it be an easy puzzle-book (because the countable items are easy enough to spot and, usually, to label).

Once again, Candlewick Press has produced a winner!

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LibraryThing member bookczuk

A wonderful counting book (from 1 to 20) set in New York City. Coming fresh from a visit to the city, the pictures won my heart. Got this for my fairy-goddaughter. I wish I'd drawing this book.

Tags: 2016-read, i-liked-the-pictures, kids-of-most-ages, places-i-have-been, read

LibraryThing member Kaethe

I like the black and white drawings with the brightly colored things-to-count. But I'm rather disappointed that for the benefit of non-New Yorkers the places pictured aren't identified. So, kind of a wash.

Library copy

LibraryThing member widdowsd

A beautifully illustrated, mostly black and white counting book where a boy travels to all different settings to find his lost dragon, taking time to count objects on the way. Detailed drawings lead kids to want to explore and ask questions about each page.

LibraryThing member williamlong33

This book has great, complex ink illustrations that offer a great challenge for a young reader to explore and differentiate between objects. Certain objects are colored in for easy placement and counting. Great for a read aloud and for learning early number comprehension. Images are very detailed

and interesting to look at. Lots of opportunities to discuss what is happening in each image and make connections with the text.

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LibraryThing member Jenica_Flores

A boy has lost has lost his dragon and goes on an adventure trying to find him. He goes all around town asking everyone where his dragon went. There is a trick on every page, the book counts to 20 and as you go through each page there is an object that you must count that matches the page number.
I

would read this to Pre-k through 1st grade when I am teaching my students how to count.

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LibraryThing member bunnyjadwiga

Illustrated in elaborate line drawings, this picture book depicts a young boy looking for his dragon all around a city (New York?). In each 2 page spread, as the boy wonders what the dragon is doing, increasing numbers of related objects (5 water towers, 8 fire hydrants) etc. are identified in text

and with splashes of color. The line-drawing dragon can be spotted in each spread as well.

Reminds me of some of the imaginative picture books of my childhood. The focus on city life is a nice touch.

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