Leo and the Lightning Dragons

This gorgeous picture book tells the story of a brave young knight who is faced with lots of adversity but through grit and determination doesn't give up. The illustrations are bold, bright and colourful adding to the narrative. The text is also very striking and appealing, with a mixture of different fonts to highlight significant words. The double page at the back of the book gives some wonderful suggestions and activities for children to try out at home to bring the story alive.

I read this story to my Key Stage one class and they loved it. They were memorised by the pictures and were rooting for Leo to defeat the dragons. The book led to lots of discussions about Leo's feelings at different stages as well as the values that were displayed in the story.

This book was extremely touching. My daughter was born with a rare genetic liver disease and had a liver transplant at 3 years of age. Knowing that this book was written for her son who also has health issues I could completely relate to the words that were written on the page. Having a child who is unwell is one of the hardest things to face as a parent. Going through treatments, procedures and having that constant uncertainty to deal with is extremely hard and stressful. I can see this book adding some comfort to those going through worrying times and providing valuable opportunities to discuss their own battles.

All royalties from the sale of this book will go to CHAS (Children's Hospices across Scotland).