Inspiring Young Readers

posted on 25 Aug 2026

The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz

I have a growing collection of books about dragons as these mythical characters never fail to impress children of all ages. They are usually huge and magnificent offering a hint of danger, for example The Green Dragon in The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch, and Smaug in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein where they also act as a safe way for younger readers to experience fear.  They are often anthropomorphised and potentially friendly, for example with the wonderful Zog series by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, Toothless from the How to Tame Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell and a personal favourite, The Dragon of an Ordinary Family by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. This new picture book features Ember, a very small dragon who apparently has ‘a heart of gold and a taste for freshly baked treats’.

I looked at the cover with a four-year-old friend, Suneeta, who was impressed at the array of bread, croissants and donuts which the tiny dragon faces with his nose in the air. She explained that she could ‘almost smell how delicious they might be!’ As the story unfolds, we learn that, like all other dragons, Ember loves gold and fervently wishes that he had his own hoard to guard. When he tries to get advice from another dragon, he learns that he might need to scare people to get it, but he is far too small to do that effectively, so is quite despondent.

We both liked his perseverance as he follows a promising ‘glimmer of gold in the foggy village’, but that just turns out to be a lantern glowing in the dark. We agreed that the nighttime colours in the illustrations were gorgeous as he tramps through the streets. The weather is clearly not looking good as at last, he curls up in front of the warm light of a bakery shop window and falls asleep. What might happen when he is discovered?

We were relieved to find that he is taken inside by the baker where he skips catlike across the next double page spread. I liked the way in which he is often shown from behind looking at what is going on, and wise Suneeta commented that this was so we could imagine what it was like to be him. He is a bit wary of trusting this unusually friendly human, but soon learns to relax and to help her with the baking. What follows is a masterclass in making bread and real pride in creating something special:

‘Ember watched, full of wonder, as the gooey blobs of dough transformed like magic into …shining gold.’ 

You will want to find out what happens next for yourselves as it turns out that Ember is keen to share his new knowledge and baking skills with his dragon friends, which could be a challenge. I can see how this story would inspire plenty of classroom discussion about how to live in harmony with others, as well as trying out some bread baking. The use of strong colours and interesting layout by this author/ illustrator hints at her previous career in the animation industry as a background painter and visual development artist, and should inspire some great drawing and painting. 

We strongly recommend this picture book published by Walker Books which should be available to buy from your local independent bookshop, who will order a copy if not already on their shelves.

 

Karen Argent

August 2026