A fitting read for a Monday morning. Humans aren’t the only creatures who need a nudge to get up in the morning, but when you’re Waking Dragons, it’s more like a heave.

Each morning, a young knight wakes the castle dragons before he leaves for knight school. In simple, playful rhymes, Yolen describes the dragons’ morning routine: “Dragons blink, / dragons bumble, / dragons leap, dragons tumble / out of bed…” Kinetic print makes the verbs jump and wobble; the letters in “tumble” cartwheel downward, and “skip and scamper” step up and down. Anderson’s bright and chunky illustrations zoom in on the drowsy dragons as they nod and yawn fire while the knight and his little dog attempt to get them out the door. There are some homey, amusing touches: a snout pokes reluctantly from under blankets, and a fire extinguisher by the giant toothbrush reads, “In case of dragon breath.”

Even if your kids don’t breathe fire, this would be a great read-aloud to start their day.

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