One of the most important things we can do as a parent is to teach our kids to be strong and resilient. To remind them that they can do anything, and that they shouldn’t give up. So I love when I find a children’s book about resilience that reminds them how strong they are, and that they can do anything. Today’s book not only shares these important lessons, but features an adorable dragon who inspired us to reach for our goals too.

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Sky Dragon was written by James Blackburn and illustrated by Stephanie Fliss Dumas. Drake is a little dragon with a lame wing. While out romping and frolicking, he falls off a cliff and finds himself stuck in the world below. But instead of panicking, he goes on a mission to find a vine to climb that will get him back to the land of dragons. The story celebrates the little dragon’s courage and bravery, while also showing that he won’t let his differences hold him back or stop him from reaching his goals. Instead, he finds another way to get where he wants to go. The beautiful illustrations are vibrant and colorful, and kids will love the adorable little dragon character.

Dragon Finger Puppet

Drake is adorable, so we decided we definitely wanted to make our own version of him! To start with, I cut a piece of orange construction paper long enough to wrap around her finger, then I taped it into a tube shape. This made up the dragon’s body. Then we cut a smaller tube of orange paper – this one shorter than the first. I placed a piece of tape between the two to attach the head and the body, but leaving it dangling so it can move when she makes it fly. Next, we traced my daughter’s hands and cut them out, and attached them to the back of the dragon’s body to create wings. Finally, we drew a face onto the dragon’s head. We taped a little scrap of red and yellow tissue paper into the mouth for fire too. She loved slipping the puppet on her finger and flying it around  the room!

Related Post: How to Be a Good Dragon

Dragon Maze

My daughter has just discovered Connect the Dot puzzles, and she loves them! So I decided to create this printable connect the dots puzzle that also helps her to practice letter recognition skills. Print out this puzzle page and have kids connect the dots from A to Z to get Drake the dragon to the top of the vine.

Setting Goals

In the book, Drake works hard to make his way up the vine to reach his goal of getting home. This is a great opportunity to talk to kids about setting goals and working towards them. Talk about goals that you want to meet, either as a family or individually. You can also discuss how to break goals down into attainable steps.

Track your progress with your own vine. Each of the attainable steps on the way to your goal can be written down on individual leaves. As you meet each small goal, you can move your dragon up the vine on this printable page (using sticky tack or tape to attach it), starting from the bottom and working your way to the goal at the top. You could also cut strips of paper about 2 inches wide and attach them to a wall in your home, and add paper leaves up that vine for a larger reminder of your journey.

Do you have a favorite children’s book about resilience? Share in the comments below!

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