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Donohue, Kitty

How to Ride a Dragonfly

40 pp. | Random/Schwartz | May, 2023 | Trade ISBN 9780593175644 $18.99 | Library ISBN 9780593175651 $21.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780593175668 $10.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. In this whimsical how-to, a young child in a red dress with white polka dots follows­ the offstage narrator's instructions, beginning with how to shrink: "Put a rose petal in your pocket at sunrise, near a riverbank where dragonflies live." The girl is cautioned to return to the same spot by sunset or the spell will be permanent. Next, she uses a blade of grass to lasso a well-dressed dragonfly named Priscilla. Together, the two joust with a bumblebee ("thistle spears make good jousting lances"), meet the queen bee, and enjoy tea with fairies since "dragonflies are often invited to parties." There are some close calls: an angry fairy attempts revenge for her stained clothes, and a hungry frog nearly catches Priscilla. Soft watercolor and ink illustrations match the text's fanciful tone; the engaging pond creatures bring liveliness to this magical world.
Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

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