School Library Journal

Gr 2-4 Danny Dragonbreath feels like a loser in more ways than one. No matter how hard he tries, he can't muster up even one lukewarm dragon's breath. Now he's in trouble with his teacher at the Herpitax-Phibbias School for Reptiles and Amphibians. He handed in a carelessly written paper on the ocean and received a well-deserved F. Now he must rewrite the paper. To research the topic he talks to his cousin, a sea serpent. Along with Danny's iguana friend, Wendell, Edward takes them on an underwater adventure to the Sargasso Sea. The adventure becomes life-threatening when Danny and Wendell are attacked by a giant squid. Danny must save his friend and does so with a long-awaited fire breath. Not only is Danny a hero but he gets an A on his re-submitted paper. The exchanges between the less-adventurous and nervous Wendell and nonchalant Danny make this a laugh-out-loud read. The text is generously illustrated with engaging, comic-book style cartoons in green, black, and white, many full page and others that cover several spreads. This humorous adventure story will appeal to reluctant readers and children seeking early chapter books. Tina Martin, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, IL

ALA Booklist

Young dragon Danny Dragonbreath has a problem: he can't yet breathe fire. Meanwhile, he just received an F on his report about the ocean and he now has one night to rewrite it. Along with his best friend, Wendell (an iguana), Danny visits Cousin Edward the sea serpent, who takes them on an undersea tour that includes a visit to a coral reef and a trip down to the dark depths of an ocean trench. When a giant squid attacks the two youngsters and tries to eat them, Danny finally finds the motivation to breathe fire (which doesn't work too well underwater). This book follows the same kind of hybrid format as Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid books, interspersing two-color comic-book-style panels (sometimes pages of them) throughout the prose. Young readers will sympathize with Danny as he deals with a bullying komodo dragon and struggles with his fire-breathing problem; they will also sympathize with Wendell as he gets dragged into all kinds of adventures with the fearless Danny.

Horn Book

Danny Dragonbreath (who can't breathe fire) must rewrite his paper about the ocean. To research material, Danny and his best friend, nervous iguana Wendell, travel undersea with Danny's cousin Edward. Though the plot tends to meander, the characters do experience adventures galore. The humorous main text interspersed with cartoon panels in black, white, and bright green will hook excitement-seeking readers.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Vernon's (Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a Somewhat Brave Shrew) fiction/graphic novel hybrid stars an audacious young dragon who can't get the knack of breathing fire. After Danny Dragonbreath gets an F on his science paper about the ocean-written at the last-minute on the school bus and describing """"the rare and elusive snorkelbat""""-his teacher tells him to rewrite it. To research the topic, Danny and his pal Wendell, a timid iguana, head for the Sargasso Sea. Guided by Danny's sea serpent cousin, Edward, the two encounter creatures like an octopus that can become polka-dotted or striped, """"mermen"""" guarding Atlantis and a vampire squid that emits """"a cloud of glowing snot."""" (They also learn about the bends, which Edward equates to """"shaking a can of soda, only inside your body."""") Illustrated with comic book-style art with a lime-green wash, the story gets some spark from wry asides presented in speech balloons (""""Why couldn't you have gone to the library instead?"""" wails Wendell as a giant squid approaches). But scattered amusing snippets don't quite keep the tale afloat. Ages 8-12.

Kirkus Reviews

Young everydragon Danny Dragonbreath hasn't quite caught the knack of breathing fire yet, but he sure knows how to have adventures—or at least to inflict them on Wendell, his peace-loving iguana buddy. Having failed to impress his teacher Mr. Smaug with a hastily concocted report on the fictitious "snorkelbat," Danny recklessly drags Wendell off to the Sargasso Sea (on a bus) to gather material on actual marine life with the help of his cousin Edward, a sea serpent. Encounters with a shark, poisonous jellyfish, vampire squid ("Instead of ink, they shoot a cloud of glowing snot at you." "Glowing snot? That is SO COOL!") and an aggressive giant squid ensue. Vernon's text abets the suspension of disbelief with Wendell's dubious regard for the mythological: "He had somehow maintained a fairly solid grip on reality despite being Danny's friend, but there were limits." Presented in a hybrid prose/graphic format with simply drawn, two-tone pictures in an appropriately reptilian green, Danny D's first outing will leave readers in stitches—and on tenterhooks waiting for the next one, which, according to a preview, will feature ninja frogs. (Fantasy. 8-11)