Book: Dark Shade: The Determined Dragon | Children's Environment Book by Black Authors | Lauren Simone Publishing

Dark Shade, a young Komodo dragon, is determined to be a ‘real dragon.’ His hilarious attempts to fly, aided by his friends and taunted by other Komodo dragons, show that with a little pain, some effort, and real creativity, you can fly.

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Ten percent of sales go toward the World Wide Fund, a non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment.

Reviews:
As a grandfather of 3 boys (aged 6, 4, and 2), the book is charming. As a biologist, the Q & A provides some simple information for children and adults. Monitor lizards, in general, are known as the athletes of the lizard world. Relative to other lizards, they are very aerobic engaging in locomotion or activity. The fact that the Komodo is producing warm gas is funny! - James W. Hicks, Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, the University of California Irvine

This delightful book for kids (or kids at heart) brings the life of an endangered species into the heart and minds of all ages. It includes lots of real science-based details hidden in a charming lyrical narrative story that inspires the spirit. As a mum who is also a former college professor, lawyer, and accreditation evaluator, I love books that engage kids and help them identify with endangered species in a way that is fun and entertaining. This charming book helps us see goal setting and perseverance in action through the eyes of a Komodo dragon, an animal that perhaps doesn’t invoke cute fuzzy vibes when we see them hunting on National Geographic, but through this book, we get to imagine that this cute little guy, with his fangs and venom, really does dream of flying.… The kids (and this reader!) stayed engaged from start to finish, and once we were done reading through the story and the questions and answers, they wanted to watch videos on Komodo dragons in the wild! If that isn’t a roaring success for a kids' book, I don’t know what is! I really enjoyed reading the story aloud as the writing style really comes alive when spoken and the loose rhyming makes it easy to read without being formulaic. And, I get a secret thrill reading books to my kids that teach them without them even realizing it! #momgoals …We can’t wait for the next book in the series!
- Erika Yigzaw

Dark Shade, a green Komodo dragon living in the Indonesian archipelago, wants to fly. The other dragons laugh at him, but he pays them no mind. Clarke’s full-color cartoon art uses mainly soft greens and browns...but it’s still sweet... Dark Shade’s insistence that he’s a real dragon and not just a Komodo dragon...the book also includes information about Komodo dragons to help make the distinction clearer...The fact that the main character feels a little sad after achieving a goal is also a realistic detail. A pleasantly illustrated...introduction to Komodo dragons.
- Kirkus Reviews

• Customer Reviews: 5.0 of 5