Early Reader Review: How to Catch a Dragon by Adam Wallace

Source: From Netgalley and Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

How to Catch a Dragon by Adam Wallace
Series: How to Catch
Publisher: Sourcbooks Wonderland
Publication Date:  November 5, 2019

 

Format: ebook


Rating:









Goodreads Synopsis: 

Do you have what it takes to catch a dragon? 

The How to Catch kids are off again, this time trying to catch a dragon as they chase him through Chinese New Year celebrations! Set in China during the Spring Festival, otherwise known as Chinese New Year, the wily dragon will have to avoid trap after trap as the kids run through paper lanterns, red envelopes, fireworks, and more! Bonus Mandarin translation included in the back!

Dragons are a clever bunch,They're difficult to catch.You'll have to set the ultimate trap--But have you met your match?

Review:  
How to Catch a Dragon is one of the books in Adam Wallace's How to Catch series, where kids can learn about different holidays by trying to catch a creature that relates back to the holiday. In this book we are trying to catch a dragon for the Chinese New Year.

The book takes on a rhyming scheme and it full of bright and engaging two page spreads for each stage of trying to catch the dragon. While trying to catch him we are also learning about different traditions in the Chinese holiday. 

The book also has a highlighted word on each page - it is a color, and then there is a matching colored Chinese symbol. Since I don't read Chinese, I can only assume that they are the same word but in two different languages, which would be pretty cool if I am right. However nowhere in the book does it note that it does this or is going to do it so it is hard to come around to this conclusion.  Additionally, in the back of the book it lists the whole text along with two other versions, it is possible Chinese and another, but I am not sure which. Either way a cool additional that could possibly use some explanation.

Overall I though this was a fun book, it was interesting to learn about the tradition in this way, but I think that it could have used a bit more if it is trying to teach younger kids about cultures. 

[on another note, it does make a joke about not giving the dragon tacos... do you understand the reference? If not let me know :)]