Once Upon a Dragon's Fire written by Beatrice Blue, reviewed by Suzanne Schug

Summary: Once upon a time, before fire was created, people in a magical kingdom wrote stories about a terrifying dragon who was so mean he ate kittens for breakfast, was so scary he made children scream, and was so evil, he blew huge storms out of his jaws. Everyone was afraid of the dragon except for children Freya who is dark skinned, and Sylas, who is light skinned, who loved reading stories about the dragon to each other. A bitter storm blew all the warmth out of the town. The children determine it was the bad dragon’s doing and decide that he must be stopped. They packed books and supplies and traveled to the dragon’s lair to discover it was nothing like what they read in their books. Freya and Sylas befriended the dragon and wrote a new story that highlighted the dragon’s kindness. Hearing the story gave the dragon the ability to breathe fire and warm the kingdom’s houses. This book reminds people that even in the coldest of times, we all carry the warm spark of friendship inside of. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: This sweet, simple story would work well as a read aloud to teach SEL relationship skills to younger elementary students. When someone goes through a cold, dark time, the warmth of friendships can help warm hearts is an example of seeking and offering help to others when needed. The color used in the illustrations of the dragon shows the transformation of a cold, scared, and very lonely dragon to a warm and loved one. It also reminds the reader that what they read is not always the truth, which ties into the social skill of resisting social pressures. Seeking out the truth is very rewarding, just like building a new friendship when reaching out to someone in need. Working together, problems can be solved and friendships can be celebrated.