School Library Journal Review
PreS-Nobody takes the youngest member of the family seriously when she announces that she is a dragon. Even when Bee Frog describes herself as "not nice" and "fierce," her mother proceeds with her chores, her father reads his newspaper, and her grandmother keeps napping. This bruise to her self-image prompts the little frog to leave home, making her dramatic departure in a series of hops that transport her to a solitary rock in a pond. She reflects on her imagined identity, relishing the idea of being a frightful creature, until she wonders if dragons ever get lonely. With perfect timing, this moment of insight coincides with her parents' awareness of Bee's need for recognition as they come looking for her. They feign fear as she ambushes them from her safe spot in the reeds; once they willingly play along, "Bee Dragon" happily reclaims her original protected status. Soft, verdant watercolor-and-pencil illustrations exude comfort and charm, and the last one says it all with little Bee Frog hopping home for tea, hand in hand with her parents. Use this gentle story to discuss imaginative play or in combination with Larry Dane Brimner's The Littlest Wolf (HarperCollins, 2002) to reassure children who are seeking greater power in their world.-Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bee, the littlest frog in her family, insists that she is the fierce "Bee Dragon." But no one seems very impressed ("Yes, Bee, that's nice," her mother says absently), so she hops off to a remote stone in the pond to make "dragon noises all by herself." Just as Bee is beginning to think that loneliness is not a such a great trade-off for being fearsome, Mom and Dad Frog find her. They're happy to call her Bee Dragon now, but what the heroine really wants from her parents is the assurance that she's "your Bee!" Though Firth keeps the unhappy heroine at a distance, Bee is a cute as a button and the artist creates lovely, delicately tinted watercolor swamp scenes. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
Bee is a little frog who imagines she's a fierce dragon. When no one seems to care about this transformation, Bee hops off on her own. Just as she starts to feel lonely, Mom and Dad Frog find her in her hiding place. Waddell's reassuring text is hard to follow at times, but it is well paired with Firth's gentle watercolors. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
