Written by Jean E. Pendziwol
Illustrated by Martine Gourbault
Kids Can Press
978-1-55074-571-9
32 pp.
Ages 3-7
Spring 2024
(Originally published in 1999)
An important part of the primary curriculum is safety for children. And short of saying, "No!" or "Don't do that!" safety education by parents is often limited. A series of picture books (see below) by Jean E. Pendziwol and illustrated by Martine Gourbault from Kids Can Press offer a subtle but informative way of teaching everything from fire safety to stranger and water safety, and dealing with bullies. And this year, Kids Can Press is reissuing No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons) for its 25th anniversary.
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From No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons), written by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault
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A child and her mother head down to the bay for a day of fun on the beach. Along the way, the girl bumps into a dragon–we may need a book for safe driving of a wagon–and invites him to play. When their day in the sand is over and the family heads home, the child invites the dragon to join them for nibbles. All is going well until the child and dragon both sneeze from a generous sprinkling of pepper. But a dragon's sneeze is far more dangerous than that of a child, and when his sneeze causes the curtains to catch fire, it's mayhem. Thankfully, the child had learned well all the right things to do when a fire breaks out. From getting out fast and staying low to the ground, heading to the family meeting tree, and not going back inside, this child knows what to do. And with her knowledge, she helps the dragon who wants to hide and go back inside for its teddy bear do the right things too. |
| From No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons), written by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault |
Learning fire safety is never outdated. As long as fires are potential hazards in any home, families with young children must be prepared. Jean E. Pendziwol's light rhyming story of a child and a dragon keeps the importance of the message without terrorizing young readers with the capacity for harm from fires. Much will be familiar to children from playing with friends, having a snack, wanting to hide when scared, and wanting to do back for a cherished toy. But the child has learned the most important rules of fire safety from a rhyme which Jean E. Pendziwol appends to her story. The five-verse rhyme begins as follows:
When the smoke alarm sounds, here's what you should do:
Leave your toys all behind, 'cause there's only one you.
In addition to this summary rhyme, Jean E. Pendziwol includes a checklist of discussion points and actions for family to implement their own safety plan.
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| From No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons), written by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault |
The same care that Jean E. Pendziwol takes to create an informative but gentle story about a not-so-trivial message is shown in the artwork of Martine Gourbault. Her use of coloured pencils brings the innocence of children or dragons at play but can still evoke the gravity of a fire in the home. The expressions on the faces of the child and dragon suggest fear but not panic, at least not on the girl's part. But with her well-rehearsed knowledge of what to do in a fire, she is calm enough to help a dragon who needs support to also do the right things. |
| From No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids (and Dragons), written by Jean E. Pendziwol, illustrated by Martine Gourbault |
It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since this story was first published and, though it could add the use of a cell phone rather than using a neighbour's phone or a phone booth, it's as relevant today as it was then. I would encourage parents and teachers to help little ones embed this learning, whether through the story alone or by learning "The Dragon's Fire-Safety Rhyme." It, like all the titles in the Dragon Safety series, could help save lives.
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Dragon Safety Series
No Dragons for Tea: Fires Safety for kids (and Dragons) (1999)
Once Upon a Dragon: Stranger Safety for Kids (and Dragons) (2005)
A Treasure at Sea for Dragon and Me: Water Safety for Kids (and Dragons) (2006)
The Tale of Sir Dragon: Dealing with Bullies for Kids (and Dragons) (2007)
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