I would NOT recommend this book. First it's about a dragon dealing with feelings of lust then about bullying. This storyline is all over the place. It gave the impression that the dragon got aroused when he was kissed on the snout, this is definitely not something that should be in a child's book!!! Disgusting.

This is a cute story about a dragon and young girl sharing a kiss and how it makes them feel. I am not sure about this story. I read it to my grandson and he kept telling me that you're only supposed to kiss people in your family. Other people want their space and don't like being hugged and kissed without asking first. As we continued to read, he said that Drake would get in trouble for hurting the other kid. So, I can not recommend this one. I think he is just parroting what he has been told in school, but it made for an unenjoyable read aloud for us. I will say the illustrations are wonderful though. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

I’m probably being too adult in reading this book. So let’s start off with the kids hat on. This is a cute story of Drake the dragon who gets his first kiss. He reacts by blowing fire. He didn’t mean to, and he is worried that he might hurt human Violet if it happens again. He opens up to family who tell him it’s okay because that is who he is and what is in his nature. But he is still worried that he will hurt a human. Until he purposely blows fire at a boy who is taunting Violet. The illustrations are fun and whimsical and nicely round out the story. Now time to put the adult cap back on. When I read this story it makes me think of an abusive relationship. Where it’s just in Drakes nature to hurt the one he loves. Where it is okay to use violence against someone who harms someone else. My adult brain has a hard time not seeing that in this story, so while I think it is cute, I will not be adding it to my personal or library’s collection.

Drake is a little confused. His friend Violet has kissed him and left some funny feelings in his stomach.
He has to figure out what he is going to do, and the first thought he has is to avoid her. But that does not seem like a good long term plan. But when he discovers a bully picking on her, he knows he has to do something.

Super cute little book about feelings and friendship.

I will start with a positive: the illustrations were lovely, especially the full page panels with no text. I just like the simple messy sketch lines kind of illustrations.

But the story was... weird, unevenly paced and felt like parts of it were missing, hence why I wasn't invested in the story or the characters.

Hmm..this book confused me. I think that it is a very cute story. I am not sure if it would be one that I would want to read in grade 3. Maybe in kindergarten? I just don’t think that I need to discuss kissing and falling in love with 8 year olds. I do think it would be a cute book to read as a parent.

Cutest book!!

Drake the Dragon becomes hot and confused after his friend Violet gives him a kiss. He has a hard time controlling his fire and he damages a building so he decides to avoid Violet. But he misses her and feels sad without his friend. So he discusses the situation with his dad who encourages him to just own who he is...a fire breathing dragon.

Soon after, Violet is being bullied by Gareth and Drake learns that being a dragon isn't all bad after all when his unique abilities mean he is able to protect his friend.

Thank you to Alexandre Lacroix, Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures, and Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this book was really sweet! The art is really calming and whimsical in a way that makes each page very visually pleasing. The storyline is a little strange, as kissing is a weird topic for small children to read about, but I thought that it was a really cute way to quickly illustrate the feeling of a crush. I really liked that Drake had a dad who was happy to talk about emotions and model great emotional stability - this is a lovely male role model!

A beautiful picture book about a dragon named Drake who becomes hot and confused after being kissed by his friend, Violet. Unable to explain why he feels this way, he decides to avoid Violet. When he confides in his father about his feelings, his father tells him not to be ashamed of who is and goes on to explain to him that dragons are different when it comes to expressing their love. They do so by breathing fire.

But Drake is worried that Violet may not see it that way. Until one day when he wanders into the park and helps Violet retrieve her hairband from a bully named Gareth. Violet then smiles and asks Drake to kiss her on her cheek. What happens when he does?

Many thanks to Alexandre Lacroix, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book really didn't work for me. I love the idea of being able to be ourselves but the whole kissing thing just made it feel uncomfortable as a children's picture book. I really didn't think it was a good example of respect and boundaries and these are such important things to discuss appropriately with young children, especially when there is so much talk about consent lately and how important it is that we learn this from an early age. .When the dragon felt confused after he was kissed his dad could have used it as a "teachable moment" but instead just brushed it off. The illustrations were beautifully done but I just cannot recommend this story. Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for gifting me a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

It was a cute story. I don’t think i would read it to a child. I don’t want to explain why after a kiss they get “hot and bothered” so to speak.
The plot could be expanded on. Along with an ending that should close the story appropriately..

Very cute illustrations but the story is sorely lacking. I mean it just really, really misses the mark. What could have been an opportunity to teach young kids about consent turned into a cringe-fest. I was uncomfortable right from the beginning when a young dragon named Drake becomes "hot and confused" after his friend kisses him unexpectedly. There is not even a passing mention that she should've asked him first. Then Drake's dad explains that dragons breathe fire when they are in love so of course that means that dragon must be in love after this one unwanted kiss! To top it all off the book ends with Drake kissing his friend back when she asks him too. So one wrong is corrected by another? Drake is uncomfortable and trying to figure out why he feels the way he does through the whole story and not one person around him helps in a constructive way. Way to teach kids not to approach a grownup when they are made to feel badly and don't understand why. Overall this book just doesn't have a great message and as cute as the illustrations are they just can't save it.

This is a lovely book about how to feel about the emotions we feel. It shows that while we may be different, if we are honest, we can make those differences turn out okay.

I enjoyed the story as Drake the dragon struggled with his feels after Violet, the girl, kissed him. He talks to his dad for advice. He finally realized that his feelings for Violet were okay and that his fire breathing skill could be useful.

I thought the story was cute and helpful for a child who does not understand or know what to do with his/her emotions. I thought the illustrations were excellent and colorful. The blues, yellows and reds are muted watercolors that fit appropriately with the story.

I have read some other reviews of this book and totally disagree that Drake’s fire breathing to help Violet was inappropriate. THAT’S WHAT DRAGONS DO. If they don’t want to read a story about dragons breathing fire, don’t read about dragons. This is a story about diversity and how those differences are okay. Can’t a story just be a story anymore? We don’t need to analyze everything for its significance in the bigger picture in life. Read for fun. Read about dragons and fairies and men in the moon. Then just enjoy the fun of fantasy.


I received this book from Quarto Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

I was really excited by the title of this book but was definitely let down by it, the illustrations were kind of cute but overall I just was not a fan of the story or the implications it held in my mind.

I couldn't review this children's book, written by Lacroix, and illustrated by Badel, positively because of the strangely violent episode that occurs in it. I had initially thought that using a dragon as a symbol for the roaring feelings inside oneself, which being very fond of someone can engender, would be a great metaphor.

The book began well enough when, after a ballgame in the park, a girl kisses Drake the dragon, and his confusion made a lot of sense, as does his confused avoidance of the girl for a while, but finally he's reconciled with her when he discovers that she's being teased by a bully. That's all well and good, but Drake's response, seeking to help her by sending a roaring blast of flame from his mouth all over the bully was entirely inappropriate for a children's book. The child wasn't harmed other than being 'singed', but I simply cannot condone a children's book that itself condones such violence and brutality, and therefore I cannot commend this book as a worthy read.

Four and a half stars.

Drake the dragon likes playing with the human children – not as in playing with his food, but playing football with them. In goal, in fact. But when one of them kisses him he really doesn't understand what is going on. This second look at how we might have to do what seems counter to our intuitions follows on from a lovely debut (dragon child decides not to burn and pillage everything), and proves there could well be a larger series to come, for it surely could run and run. It's a simple lesson for the young reader about one instance of interacting with other people, and once again daddy dragon is there to put the youngster's mind to rest. Using a dragon to explore human nature does seem counter-intuitive, but that's what makes these books so surprising and clever. And the illustrations make them perfectly agreeable for the young, too.

I just can't recommend this book. The illustrations are colorful and nice but the narration suggests violence is okay. Drake the Dragon receives a kiss and uncontrollably, spouts fire that burns down a building (according to the illustration) -- though that was an accident. Drake's father explains that the kiss made him feel 'love' (sexual feelings?) Breathing fire is the result of the feeling. Later, Drake shoots fire at a bully, out of anger, presumably to protect/help Violet, the girl that kissed him. So 'love' results in violence, or condones it? Uncontrollable behavior or acting out of anger? I'm sure that's not the author's intended meaning, but how else do you interpret it? A young child might get the wrong idea.

I received a copy from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like this book?
Yeah! I like it because it's about a dragon named Drake!

What's your favorite part of the book?
When he blew fire! Dragons breathe fire! He said "ROAR!" And I like when Violet gave Drake a kiss. I love kisses.

What do you think of the cover?
I like it because the dragon has a heart when he blew fire. And I like the daddy dragon's hand on the other dragon but not on the human!

What did this book make you feel?
Happy when she kissed him! And sad when that boy was being mean.

Dragons in Love is a cute book about a young dragon who loves to go into town and play with the human kids. One day when he is playing with the kids, his friend Violet, gives him a kiss on his snout. Drake finds this very confusing. It makes him feel warm inside and makes him want to blow fire. He doesn't know how to process it.

Let's start by saying what I like about the book. I love the colors and the illustrations. The artwork is absolutely adorable.

And that's about all I like. I understand where the author was going with this. Drake has big emotions and he needs to learn how to comprehend them. It also teaches that even though things might be awkward between you and a friend, that they're still your friend and you always need to be there for them.

What I don't care for much however is when I was reading this it was talking about how it left Drake feeling hot and confused. I get what it was trying to say but that wording kind of made it feel a bit... older than the audience it was meant for.

I don't mind books about kissing, as long as it's appropriate. On the cheek kissing and what not. Everyone does it. But something about this book made me feel like it wasn't meant for younger kiddos like you might think.

Otherwise this, it was pretty cute. Maybe just should have went a different direction instead of kissing.

In perfect time for Valentine's Day, this story about Drake and his friend Violet will bring a smile to your face. The illustrations were magnificent, and I loved the color scheme used.

I really wanted to love this, especially with the cute cover and title, but it left me frustrated on many fronts. I almost feel like the cover had to have been designed by a different artist, since it looks nothing like the internal artwork does (at least, not to me). The interior artwork has none of that detail, nor any real facial expressions.

As for the story, there is way too much telling (not enough showing) in the actual storyline and text for me, especially in the dialogue, and this has far too many passive sentences. I prefer a more active story. The writing isn't great, and the story isn't well-constructed. It also feels like this story is forced, instead of that it just flows naturally, and that effects the overall pacing, which is slow, even for such a short book.

The artwork is a bit too blurry for me, and it’s very difficult to see expressions on the characters’ faces. I think this is a stylistic choice, and maybe it just didn’t really work for me. It’s pretty but so indistinct that it’s almost a struggle to understand and visualize the scene, even though it is right in front of me. I don’t mind some impressionism in the art gallery, but since picture books require world building, I struggled with this. My brain keeps trying to fill in all the gaps and missing information, in order to help me understand the story, and that ends up being frustrating and confusing, rather than interesting.

Basically, I would love the artwork, if it wasn’t part of this story, but it is. And since the storytelling has issues, I needed the artwork to be clear and strong, in order to support that story. Unfortunately, it isn’t clear, so while I might enjoy having a panel hung up on my wall, it wasn't great for this story.

I also had some issues with the actually kissing scene and follow up, and how everything was handled (poorly handled on most fronts). This could be my internal educator flaring up, but I don’t feel like this book provides children with any of the right messages---people might kiss you without your consent (okay, yes this definitely happens with small children, it’s the next parts that sat poorly with me)---if someone kisses you and it doesn’t physical hurt, then there’s no harm done---if you feel really uncomfortable after someone kisses you, then that’s your problem, not theirs---that after someone kisses you without consent and makes you very uncomfortable, then you should be worried about how they feel and what they think--and if your parent says hey, it's okay, because I felt out of control when your mom first kissed me, so you as a very small child should also feel out of control if someone kisses you as it's normal to feel out of control when you've been kissed--No. Just absolutely no on all fronts.

These are terrible messages for children, whether or not they are in an abusive situation.

Definitely do not give or read this story to children or groups of children who have potentially difficult, challenging, or dangerous home situations (which is many children), as these are not the messages that will help them be safe, happy, and comfortable. If you are raising a safe, happy, well-protected child, then you could open up discussions about what is right and wrong about this story with your child, and that itself could be helpful, as long as you make sure to point out the concerns as you go along.