Dragons and Marshmallows

By Asia Citro, M.Ed. and Marion Lindsay

A New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2017 Selection
A Mighty Girl Book of the Year
Illinois Monarch Award Nominee 2018-2019
Florida SSYRA Book Award Nominee 2018-2019

With magical animals, science, mystery, and adventure -- the brand new series Zoey and Sassafras has something for everyone! Easy-to-read language and illustrations on nearly every page make this series perfect for a wide range of ages.

In the first book of this series, Zoey discovers a glowing photo and learns an amazing secret. Injured magical animals come to their backyard barn for help! When a sick baby dragon appears, it’s up to Zoey and Sassafras to figure out what’s wrong. Will they be able to help little Marshmallow before it’s too late?

Each story in the Zoey and Sassafras series features a new magical animal with a problem that must be solved using science. There isn't a set formula for each book; Zoey sometimes needs to run experiments, while other times she needs to investigate a mystery, and yet other times she needs to do research. Zoey models how to keep a science journal through her handwritten entries in each story. Each story is complete with a glossary of the kid-friendly definitions for scientific terms used. The series highlights child-led inquiry science and the topics covered align with both Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Innovation Press
• Release date: Mar 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9781943147113

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

BUG CIRCUS

What is it, Sassafras? I crouched down and ruffled my cat’s fluffy fur. He was trying to flip over a heavy, mossy rock with his paws. Something good was definitely under there.

I gently tipped the rock over on its side. Yes! I clapped my hands together. This rock was hiding a treasure. A billion roly-poly bugs!

OK . . . maybe not a billion. But at least twenty.

Sassafras took a step forward. Meow?

No! Don’t eat the bugs! That’s gross.

My cat loves bugs as much as I do. But we love them for different reasons. I love to play with them. He loves to eat them.

Hmmm. Now I just needed to think of something super amazing to do with the roly-polies. I held one in my hand and its tiny feet tickled as it walked.

Sassafras trotted over to my pile of stuff and pawed at my Thinking Goggles.

Ooh, good idea, I said as I put them on my head.

Most scientists wear goggles over their eyes, and I do too when I need to keep my eyes safe. But when I need to think of brilliant ideas, I wear my Thinking Goggles on top of my head. That way they’re closer to my brain.

The roly-poly on my hand walked across a bridge I’d made by touching the tips of my two pointer fingers together.

I’ve got it! Let’s make a bug circus!

I bent some thin twigs into hoops for the bugs to crawl through. Then I set up some small, round rocks for them to balance on. Next, I tied some grass on either end of a flat piece of bark to make a swing that I held low to the ground (in case any of my performers fell).

My favorite part was a tightrope I made by balancing a long twig between two flat rocks. One of the biggest roly-polies crawled up to the twig tightrope.

I got down on my elbows in the soft grass to cheer him on. Come on, little buggy! You can do it!

Almost . . . almost. No! He tumbled into the grass. And then another one followed. The bigger roly-polies were having too much trouble. Hmmm. I carefully plucked the smallest of the rolypolies from the ground.

OK, little guy. You might be the smallest, but I think you can do this. Show me what you’ve got!

I placed the tiny roly-poly on one end of the twig. As he crawled along, I held my breath and didn’t let it out until he was across.

He made it! I jumped up, cheered,

Reviews for Dragons and Marshmallows

[jennybeast · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute! I like the magical animals, Zoey's scientific explorations, and her problem solving when things get over her head.

[agrudzien_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Zoey loves to explore with her cat Sassafras and one day before her mom leaves town they discover that her mom helps take care of magical creatures in their barn. Once Zoey's mom knows she can see the creatures she puts Zoey in charge of any animals that might show up when she's on her trip. The first animal Zoey has to take care of? A baby dragon...and by experimenting and reading and trying she starts to help him get better. Super cute early chapter book incorporating science and magic! Text is not overly girly so when the boys finish other dragon series they would definitely like this if they tried it.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Cute fantasy that reminds me of Bruce Coville books but for a new (and younger) era.

[cj82487 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My APK class absolutely loved this first big chapter book. They enjoyed the pictures and seeing what would happen next. They asked very good questions about how Zoey and her mom were able to see the animals, but her dad wasn’t and what other kinds of magical animals there might be out there. Will definitely pick up the next book in the series for them in the future.