A Day with the Dragons
Written by Raven Howell
Illustrated by Alexander Santos
Ages: 2-7 | 34 Pages
Publisher: AMInk Publishing (2026) | ISBN-13: 978-1958842706
Publisher's Book Summary: What do you do when you and your brother have different interests but still want to spend the day together? Dragons Blue and Green set off on a series of comical misadventures. After risky jellyfish encounters and allergic red spots from dandelions, will they begin to understand that love and respect for one another matters more?
Available for purchase on Amazon and/or Bookshop.org.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Raven Howell is the award-winning author and poet of over 30 children's books. She writes for magazines including Highlights, Cricket, and The School. She's a journalist for Story Monsters Ink magazine and a writer for children's educational publishers. Raven enjoys visiting students in schools and libraries, and most importantly, believes in magical dragons.
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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Alexander Santos is a Brazilian illustrator with almost 30 years of experience. He has illustrated for several newspapers, dozens of children's, school, and literature books, and hundreds of children's magazines. He created and illustrated puzzles for the magazine Recreio (Brazil). He also designed children's games and taught drawing for 11 years. Alexander doesn't remember when he first encountered dragons, but he hasn't strayed far from them since discovering RPGs in the 80s.
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Life Is What It's Called - What makes A Day with the Dragon stand apart from other books on the market?
Raven Howell - A Day with the Dragons is a light-hearted family story for children who find themselves in rupture with someone they love. I wrote it with a friendly, humorous tone to tackle this heavier theme.
My book purposely neglects moral statements and adult-oriented instruction prevalent in the children’s market today. The plot reveals a pathway to heal and come into our hearts and respect for one another with warmth and play.
Life Is What It's Called - What will readers like most about this book?
Raven Howell - The mischievous, colorful dragon brothers who have very specific, non-negotiable preferences are most engaging and relatable to readers of all ages. Attempting to out-trick one another, a resulting comedic collision is the highlight of the story.
Illustrator Alex Santos created the artwork to depict visual narration of the physical sensations and emotions of (dragons) Blue and Green. The illustrative work is hilarious, and self-explanatory, even for the preschool child.
Life Is What It's Called - What is your favorite line from this book?
Raven Howell - One of my favorite spots in the book is when Green tries to persuade his brother, Blue, to go hiking with him. He’s talking to Blue, who wants nothing more than to go sailing on the sea, with this silly, imaginative made-up obstacle
“Green insisted, “The water current is bringing in a lot of jellyfish. Jellyfish especially like to sting dragons!”
Imagine the horror on Blue’s face as thoughts of a dragon-stinging jellyfish fill his mind!
Life Is What It's Called - What inspired you to write this book?
Raven Howell - I wanted to create a new book series and so, was considering magical, humorous, and loving characters I could turn to for a variety of story lines time and time again. And dragons had become a special part of my life.
As an intuitive, a few years ago, I was happy -and surprised- to find they were quite real as divine, powerful, and enchanting spirits. Dragons inspire me in many ways!
Life Is What It's Called - What would you like readers to know about you?
Raven Howell - I’m grateful for my long writing career. And over the past 3 decades, my favorite thing remains connecting with children and students. Not only is every generation different, but each child carries their own unique light in our world, learning and responding in their distinct way.
If as a parent, teacher, or caregiver, you’re reading A Day with the Dragons with your little ones, my hope is you make allowance to talk over or ask questions about the story’s conflict and resolution. The dragons give children a shared language, a shared story – powerful tools in their lives today.
GIVEAWAY
Readers who follow along on this virtual book tour will have the chance to win one of five signed hardcover copies of A Day with the Dragons. One lucky grand prize winner will receive a cozy A Day with the Dragons throw pillow plus 10 of Raven Howell's bestselling children's books, spanning preschool through early reader favorites.
Raven Howell - I wanted to create a new book series and so, was considering magical, humorous, and loving characters I could turn to for a variety of story lines time and time again. And dragons had become a special part of my life.
As an intuitive, a few years ago, I was happy -and surprised- to find they were quite real as divine, powerful, and enchanting spirits. Dragons inspire me in many ways!
Life Is What It's Called - What would you like readers to know about you?
Raven Howell - I’m grateful for my long writing career. And over the past 3 decades, my favorite thing remains connecting with children and students. Not only is every generation different, but each child carries their own unique light in our world, learning and responding in their distinct way.
If as a parent, teacher, or caregiver, you’re reading A Day with the Dragons with your little ones, my hope is you make allowance to talk over or ask questions about the story’s conflict and resolution. The dragons give children a shared language, a shared story – powerful tools in their lives today.
GIVEAWAY
Readers who follow along on this virtual book tour will have the chance to win one of five signed hardcover copies of A Day with the Dragons. One lucky grand prize winner will receive a cozy A Day with the Dragons throw pillow plus 10 of Raven Howell's bestselling children's books, spanning preschool through early reader favorites.
This post is sponsored by Raven Howell. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views. Or: Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to share my opinion.