How to Save the Dragon by Madeleine Matthews

Title: How to Save the Dragon: Children’s book for teaching impulse control

Author: Madeleine Matthews

Ages: 3-5

Published:  March 10, 2018

Synopsis:

What’s this impulsivity book for kids based on?
This kids impulse control and children behavior book is written based on the interpersonal biology, attachment parenting psychology, and no-drama discipline and it is written in verse. The story explains the benefits of brain integration and celebrates the role of connection with the primary caregiver.
Also, this impulsivity book for kid helps with your conscious parenting effort, by offering a scientific perspective on temper tantrums. The story line supports mindful parenting by explaining what happens during a tantrum.

My Thoughts

**I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

This picture book is a great resource for young children whose brains are still developing and may be struggling with impulse control. The front of the book details reasons regarding the benefits of learning impulse control for young children and their development.

What first caught my eye was how the pages were filled with illustrations. There was limited white space – the whole page was filled with colour and pictures. The text was easy to find and read. My eye was drawn to the details hidden in the illustrations that reiterated what the text said.

The introduction to the two characters – Flappy and Wrinkles is a fantastic way to frame impulse control. These two characters characterize the two sides of impulse control – the fight, flight, or freeze and the logical thinking. The animals are popular with children and they can be easily identified with. The two friends work well together and each have a role to play to have a balanced brain and control over your body.

Matthews uses positive language and strong words to describe the two characters. The rhymes in the next made it more enjoyable and interesting to read to children. Flappy’s introduction describes the flight, fight or freeze response when a child is faced with a situation and they do not know how to react to it. Wrinkle represents the logical side of the brain – thinking and working through problems and coming up with solutions.

At the back of the book there are strategies listed to help young children and their parents – how to label your feelings, what you’re feeling, to stop and think before you say anything. At the back there is also information for the parent about children’s emotions and what it looks like when they have a big emotional feeling. This book asks parents and children to list what happens in certain situations, and how to solve their problem.

I believe that this is a fantastic resource for parents who have children who lack impulse control. With this in mind, I gave this picture book 4 /5 cup of tea; there could have been more about how to control emotions, what to do in moments when feeling overwhelmed.