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Book Review: The Bakery Dragon

The Bakery Dragon is a children’s fantasy book written and illustrated by Devin Elle Kurtz. It was published in 2024 by Alfred A. Knopf (Penguin Random House is the parent company). The story is about a little dragon named Ember who, like all dragons, loves gold more than anything. Problem is, he doesn’t have a hoard of gold like the other dragons (who are much bigger and intimidating than him). While the bigger dragons can spew out fire and scare people into giving them gold, Ember can only spew out a small flame and cannot scare villagers into giving him anything. In his search for gold, he comes across a kind baker who teaches him how to bake tasty “gold,” and he learns that this tasty gold is even better when it is shared. I enjoyed the story, as well as the moral about sharing with others is much better than stealing and hoarding. The writing is good, but since this is a children’s book, I feel the biggest strength is the illustrations. The illustrations are beautiful, and Devin E...

My Nightly Strolls


Most people like to go

On a nice morning strolls

Through the parks that are home to pixies

And over bridges of grumpy trolls.


Most people like to go on walks

When the sun shines its light

For it is easier to see in the day

Than it is to see in the night.


But I for one prefer to walk

In the dark of the night

Whether the moon is full or not,

For I can make do without the sunlight.


In the cool of the night,

Most people are fast asleep

Leaving me content in the nightly noises

With no desire to count sheep.


There are no people chattering

Or laughing or squabbling

Or yelling or screaming

Or whooping or hollering.


There are only owls hooting

Crickets chirping, winds murmuring,

Leaves rustling, trees creaking,

Twigs snapping, and rivers gurgling.


There are a few pixies

Who glow like fireflies

And dance upon the tree branches

Before the song of the night dies.


But all grumpy trolls that huff and puff

At people crossing their bridges

Are much too busy having pleasant dreams

Of traversing mountain ridges.


Some might think it scary

To walk in the dark of night

For fear of monsters in the shadows

Waiting to give you an awful fright.


But I have no fear of them

Because, as you see

I have God, therefore I have courage,

So it is the monsters who fear me.


I love taking my nightly strolls

Beneath the sea of stars

Savoring the joys of the dark

That I wish I could save for later in jars.


I wish to keep some of the night’s songs

And the stars glimmering tucked away

So that even after the moon vanishes

I can enjoy the night in the day.


But such things cannot be

Though I wish it could,

So when the sun rises from its slumber

I will go back home and sleep, as I should.


But when I awaken,

And the sun has set like before,

I will journey out into the darkness

And enjoy the night once more.

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