A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans

By: Laurence Yep, Joanne Ryder

Narrated by: Susan Denaker

Fans of How to Train Your Dragon will love this whimsical tale, the first in a series, by a Newbery Honor winner, featuring charming illustrations and pet "training tips" in each chapter.

Crusty dragon Miss Drake has a new pet human, precocious Winnie. Oddly enough, Winnie seems to think Miss Drake is her pet—a ridiculous notion!

Unknown to most of its inhabitants, the City by the Bay is home to many mysterious and fantastic creatures, hidden beneath the parks, among the clouds, and even in plain sight. And Winnie wants to draw every new creature she encounters: the good, the bad, and the ugly. But Winnie’s sketchbook is not what it seems. Somehow, her sketchlings have been set loose on the city streets! It will take Winnie and Miss Drake’s combined efforts to put an end to the mayhem . . . before it’s too late.

This refreshing debut collaboration by Laurence Yep, a two-time Newbery Honor winner and a Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner, and Joanne Ryder features illustrations by Mary GrandPré.     

Praise for A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans
*“Warm humor, magical mishaps, and the main characters’ budding mutual respect and affection combine to give this opener for a planned series a special shine.” –Booklist, Starred

“Aternately comical, suspenseful and sometimes sweetly emotional.” –Kirkus Reviews

“With a black-and-white spot illustration opening most chapters, an engaging narrator, and a consistently fluid writing style, this title makes a fine dragon choice for readers.” –School Library Journal

“In this series launch, Yep and Ryder conjure up a world where dragons and humans interact, and the results are heartwarming and quite funny.” –Publishers Weekly

“A clever and amusing novel that imagines a magical world that nestles right up against our own and sometimes crosses over.” –The Bulleting of the Center for Children’s Books
 
Praise for A Dragon’s Guide to Making Your Human Smarter
"Yep and Ryder keep the magic coming with their whimsical fantasy, enhanced by Grandpré's sweet drawings. The story positively vibrates with fun." —Kirkus Reviews

" Lighthearted episodes of unusual school lessons and field trips, illustrated by GrandPré’s winsome spot art, are grounded by Miss Drake’s more serious encounters with the goons...a gratifying development as this buoyant, fantastical series continues."—The Horn Book Review

Critic reviews

"Warm humor, magical mishaps, and the main characters’ budding mutual respect and affection combine to give this opener for a planned series a special shine that will draw readers and leave them impatient for sequels."
—Booklist starred review

A unique perspective

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, the story itself has so many layers and depth. It has beautiful themes of acceptance, friendship, and growing pains. It balances that with adventure and suspense and a bit of magic.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans?

When the old dragon begins to soften toward her new human.

Have you listened to any of Susan Denaker’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. It took me a moment to adjust to this reader. At first, she was not my favorite. She did not seem like the right voice for a children's novel. However, I would encourage you to hold out because as the story continues she becomes the perfect fit.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Oh Winnie...

Wonderfully engaging story

Would you consider the audio edition of A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans to be better than the print version?

Yes, because Susan Denaker makes the dragon, Miss Drake come to life. I read the book first and then because I enjoyed it so much, wanted to listen to the audiobook. I am an adult and really enjoyed this audiobook. It is a delightful, heartwarming tale with adventure and mild suspense.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Miss Drake the dragon is delightful on so many levels. I like that her character is the narrator of the story.

POV

It is harder than one would think to find books from a dragons point of view and this book does an excellent job. My only complaint is that Denaker’s pacing is a bit slow for my liking but that was easily salved by upping the speed.

great story for a read aloud

my 8yo son will always listen to a story if someone reads it but I don't want to read stories everyday for hours. audio books have been a God send! and bonus, I actually like the series too. Susan Deniker is excellent at doing different voices - you can truly tell who is speaking because she is that consistent. I thought it would be annoying when they brought in a second reader in book two, but it wasn't as hard a transition as I thought.

Summer Read

My daughter and I loved it!! It was a great shift in perseptive, and the character development was awesome. The preformance spectacular!