Thank you to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for an advanced reader copy of this book. All views and opinions are my own.

Freya wants to slay a dragon. A dragon wants to slay a girl. Freya and dragon bond over marshmallows! All is well.

This book is cute and sends an important message about finding alternative solutions and being willing to be the first to extend an olive branch. Also, Tatyana takes a unique approach to illustrating her books. She uses simple crayon and colored pencil drawings which may be inspiring to young children because they look at this picture book and think, "I could do that. Could I make my own book and story?" Which is a super cool concept. That said, I can't help but recognize that, as a child, I would be sad not to experience bright, colorful, eye-popping art to go along with this story. Dragons and princesses? Pop that art all day long!

Additionally, this is something of a trope in that the princess ends up befriending the thing she planned to destroy

Cute book. It was okay. But I can't personally say I would go out of my way to recommend it to moms with kids. I wouldn't have been particularly tickled by this book as a kid either. It is what it is and just love it for being that.

I'd rate this a G.

Original review published 7/30/24.

I loved the childish wonder that the illustrations allowed. It made it really feel as if Freya was illustrating and telling the story. A charming story that follows Freya, a young girl looking to slay a dragon, and a dragon, who has pre-conceived notions about girls and bravery. This book really shows the importance of believing in yourself and standing up for who you are, never allowing someone to put you down simply because you’re a girl. It also really focused on expressing your imagination, which I loved. This was a really beautiful, emotional story that I highly recommend to all!

Thank you NetGalley and Kids Can Press for this ARC!

A cute story showing that girls can be brave and face dragons, especially as the main character challenges the dragon's preconceptions about girls!

The Dragon Slayer is a cute picture book about a princess, who wants to slay dragons, and a dragon, who wants to eat a princess. The illustrations were simplistic and cute. I wanted a little bit more from the plot as I feel like I have seen a version of this many times, but it was still a fun read and really cute. Kiddos will love it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Tatyana Feeney, and Kids Can Press for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.

A delightful story with such charming illustrations about a little girl who wants to slay dragons, and a dragon looking for a sweet tender girl to eat. He meets his match as she spears marshmallows on her sword, and they end up making s'mores and being friends. A gem!

The Dragon Slayer (Hardcover)
by Tatyana Feeney
this book shows the nature of imagination. The drawings will be inspiring for children, their simplistic nature will have many children copying its pictures.
the story of having a dream and finding reality will show children that expectations should not influence behavior.
The book is a good social emotional learning resource for elementary school, showing perception, reality, and new avenues. The book also shows how reputation should not influence out behavior.

#justagirlandherbooks: This book was very fun. My favorite part was when Freya shared marshmallows with the dragon instead of slaying it. I was really excited when my prediction of Freya and the dragon being best friends came true. I didn’t like that the dragon was trying to eat a girl. I recommend this book to anyone who loves dragons who aren’t slayed and human girls who aren’t eaten.

Nicki: This was a funtastic read about a little girl who aspires to be a knight and a dragon who wants to eat a little girl. This story was fun, light hearted, and great for all ages. The illustrations were just enough to get the story across, but not too much that they became distracting to the young reader. I had a little bit of an issue with the ending, as it seemed like there were a couple pages missing where it just skipped in the story. Otherwise, we really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all the young dragon lovers.

Awesome and absolutely perfect book! I honestly have nothing bad to say, only compliments to give. First of all, the illustrations were adorable! I thought it was a smart idea to use crayons and pencils for the illustrations, because it makes for a more relatable reading experience for kids, as they use crayons and pencils almost every day. On top of that, the colors were soft, but still very beautiful. This helps make it perfect for reading anytime, day or night. Secondly, the idea of the story was clear and it definitely came through to the reader what the author was going for. And this message that the author highlighted in this story is so, so empowering, especially for young female-identifying readers. Third, the plot was present and made perfect sense, which will help kids stay engaged and it makes for a more comprehensive story. Lastly, the ending was so meaningful and sweet, it will both inspire and delight kids beyond finishing this book.
Bravo!

This story about perception and unlikely friendship was endearing. These are the kinds of stories I like to read to all of my kids, but especially my daughter. She is able to see herself in the main character and find value in her fiery spunk. The illustrations were fun - I love the doodle-like and thumbprint aesthetics.

Very cute book with a good, generally applied message.

Thank you NetGalley, Tatyana Feeney, and Kids Can Press for this eARC.