Published by Thames & Hudson, 2019.

A little boy’s pet dragon no longer breathes fire. The dragon is miserable, quite despondent. In fact, he’s just not feeling himself at all. The boy tries everything he can think of to relight his dragon, from tickling him to shaking him in case something’s blocking his airways.

When nothing works, he tries a different approach. He tries to make his dragon angry by cheating at cards, then jealous by waxing lyrical about the latest ovens and their flames. Still no luck.

In the end the boy decides that breathing fire isn’t everything. He reminisces fondly about all the good times they’ve shared and reassures the dragon that he’ll always love him, whether he can breathe fire or not.

The book is a riot of colour: glorious bold illustrations and vibrant colourways.  The typography is brilliant too – different styles, sizes, colours and directions. The book is a visual feast!

Bold, funny and with a tender heart, How to Light your Dragon is a terrific new picture book.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 2+

Thank you to Thames & Hudson for sending me this book to review.