You've Got Dragons (Kathryn Cave)

You've Got Dragons
Kathryn Cave, illustrations by Nick Maland
Peachtree Pub Co Inc.
Fiction, CH Picture Book
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: Dragons can happen to anyone, at any time. One day, out of the blue, there they are... and they won't go away on their own. Learn how to manage the dragons in your life.

REVIEW: Work was a bit slow today, so I skimmed this off the top of a tote. At the outset, I admit I almost shaved a half-star from the rating; despite the illustrations featuring numerous dragons, it quickly becomes clear that the "dragons" here are being used as a metaphor for anxiety, fear, or other issues that are hard to tackle in a tangible way, especially for children. (When I pick up a book touting dragons, I want actual dragons, dang it!) The boy Ben worries that having a dragon in his life means he's a bad person, until he finds out anyone can find themselves beset by them, including grown-ups - and everyone has trouble coping with them. Ignoring it doesn't help, and it's hard to talk to others, who often don't listen. In the process, he learns how to deal with his dragon, and helps others deal with theirs, with some bits of humor along the way. I wound up forgiving it its use of dragon as metaphor, because this is a book I can see being useful to kids struggling with fears or other issues - useful in a way that doesn't insist one enthusiastically embrace one's "dragons" as opportunities in disguise, when sometimes it's all one can do to endure their existence. At the very least, it's a way to start a discussion with a child who may be having trouble articulating a worry.

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