SYNOPSIS

Zoey, a precocious youngster, is stunned to discover that her mom is able to see and take care of magical creatures. And so does Zoey! While mom is away on a business trip, Zoey is visited by a sick baby dragon, and brainstorms ways to cure him. Through trial and error she discovers that the dragon is an omnivore whose favorite food is… for you to find out. Sassafrass the cat offers moral support to doctor and patient. 

(1st in a 7-book series)

PERFECT AGE 7 – 10

THEMES

• The trial-and-error approach results in many disappointments but one must never give up
• Careful research pays off
• Belief in one’s ability, trusting one’s instincts, and perseverence

We love

• How caring and dedicated Zoey is
• That Zoey is a girl and a child of color
• The opportunity to explore the meaning of “herbivore”, “carnivore”, “omnivore”
• Teaching children how to set up (even if basic) scientific experiments and deduce from observations and exclusions

WATCH OUT FOR (Language, Big / Sensitive Topics, Outdated Concepts):

• The dad, who – unlike Zoey and her mom – does not have the ability to see magical creatures, is either “in the dark” about or misinterprets the goings-on at home (sometimes with mom’s assistance). Results in an innocuous yet unflattering look for dad as a hoodwinked outsider.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

• What surprised you most about Zoey’s experiment?
• What did you learn about the life of baby snakes? How do they differ from ours? Why is that?
• Why is it helpful for Zoey to write down the steps to her experiment? 
• What does a “hypothesis” mean?