Dragonboy and the 100 Hearts (Dragonboy, 3)

Dragonboy and his four stuffed animal friends must stay inside on a rainy day. Dragonboy suggests that they explore inside, but Yellow Kitty says they can’t find anything new inside and poor Simon the Sloth struggles to keep up with them. Darwin immediately begins to find small surprises, but the others won’t listen to him. Eventually, they end up in the top story of their house where they find old toys that are new and interesting again. When the group finally realizes that Darwin is sad because no one listened to him, they all stop and realize Darwin has been finding little red hearts all throughout the book that mark acts of kindness.

Occasionally, a children’s picture book comes along that will remain in the recesses of memory long after others have faded. Dragonboy and the 100 Hearts is just such a book. Here, the characters are adorable and distinct. Messages throughout the text, such as “I’m perfectly ok with not being liked by everyone” and “Sometimes sitting with a friend is the perfect kind of kindness” provide wonderful teaching moments. Finally, little readers will enjoy searching for 100 little hearts throughout the book. This book will become a beloved favorite.