Pegasus - A Dragon’s Tale is a delightful story of two bear siblings, a princess bear and a prince bear, who found and raised a dragon named Pegasus. When Pegasus grows to be too big to live comfortably in the castle, he is set free (much to the disappointment of the siblings). However, years later, a war comes through the land and when the two royal siblings fall into danger, Pegasus comes back unexpectedly to rescue them and the three childhood friends reunite again.

Apparently, the story is the winner of multiple book awards including the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award, the Mom’s Choice Award, the LitPick Top Choice Book Review Award, and the Marriah Media Gold Award. It was also an International Book Awards finalist, a USA Best Book Awards finalist, and an Indie Book of the Day award winner. Many congratulations to the author!

The format of this picture book was really nice and professional, the cover is clear and glossy, and the art was absolutely fantastic. Each of the pieces displayed exactly what was going on in the story and helped to bring it all to life. My only complaint with the art is how frowny Princess Kameela and Prince Dayshawn were on page 11, which is a really small thing, I know, but everything else was really good, from the scenes of the siblings playing outside to their bedroom, the throne room, the castle, and the enemy army’s camp.

I really loved the photo gallery at the end of the book with the real Kameela and Dayshawn as well as the “real” teddy bear versions of them. I can just imagine there being Kameela and Dayshawn bears that come along with the book as a set (yeah, I know, I know, that’s not actually a thing, but it would be SO cool if it was!)

The story itself was exciting, relatable, and memorable. I think most (if not all!) kids have wanted a pet dragon before in their lives and/or wanted to be a prince or princess and/or wanted to have adventures like the characters in this story did and Gina used those three dreams and crafted it into the story of Pegasus. I’d say the best age range for this book is from age one to age five and it would make a great read aloud as well as serve as a book to help older children learn how to read. Completely recommended!

Many thanks to the author for the free review copy! I am beyond grateful. Please note that all opinions expressed are completely my own ☺️ ( )

This heartwarming tale of two young bear cubs that find a dragon egg. Prince Dayshawn and Princess Kameela grow to love the dragon named Pegasus. Pegasus will do anything to protect Princess Kameela but is eventually sent away by King Everton. A king from another country wages war on King Everton's kingdom and kidnaps the Prince and Princess. Will they be rescued? Will the war be stopped? Your answers await you in Pegasus~A Dragon's Tale.

I don't know any child boy or girl who could resist this story. It has action, adventure, and mystery rolled into one. Ms. Lobiondo has created a wonderful world that will delight any child's imagination. ( )

"I have to admit - I rather enjoyed reading this sweet tale. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a child who still enjoys spending time in the world of imagination where bears can talk, dragons can be loved like puppies, bad guys get their comeuppance, and all the good folk can live happily ever after. Pegasus: A Dragon's Tale hits the mark 100%" - L. Avery Brown

If you'd like to read the interview that accompanies this review please visit www.magnoliablossomreview.blogspot.com

1. Book Title ... 10 of 10
As far as I'm concerned this is a terrific title on more than one level because:
A. It's got a terrific flow to it.
B. It evokes the 'fairy tale' genre simply by slipping the world 'dragon' in it.
C. For parents, it's a great way offers a great segue for them to say to their children, 'You know there's another Pegasus who has a really cool story, too' That opens the door for exploration into an whole other genre of writing - mythology. (As a former educator - I love it when there are hidden elements that create connections to other things)

2. Book Cover ... 10 of 10
The artwork on the cover is terrific. Gina LoBiondo was one lucky person to have found Stephanie Zuppo to do the cover work and interior artwork for her book. It's colorful, vibrant, and screams 'I'm a fairy tale - come on - open me because you know you want to see what's on the inside!'

3. The First 500 50 ... 10 of 10
Okay so it's not really fair to use the first 500 criteria for this sort of story because, in truth, that's about a third of the book! That's why I've scaled the 500 down to 50 words. Because if you can't capture a child's imagination on the first page - in those first 50 words - you never will. And Gina LoBiondo has done a great job getting the hook out there front and center on the first page. While the first 50 doesn't mention Pegasus - it does set a wonderful stage by introducing the two lead 'bears', Dayshawn and Kameela. Add that to the wonderful art of the 2 bear siblings playing ball (just like any kids would do) and it's the perfect way to open up the story.

4. Age Recommendation/Genre Classification ... 10 of 10
I'd be an idiot not to give this one a 10! It even starts with the phrase 'Once upon a time, in a far away land...' And it ends with '...and they lived in peace and happiness forever more.' If that doesn't fit the Fairy Tale genre to a 'T' then I don't know what does.

5. Presentation and Format ... 10 of 10
Again, Pegasus: A Dragon's Tale is spot on with the way the book is presented. Believe it or not - the way the words look and flow in a children's book is actually much more important that you might think. Why? Because the phrases not only have to be short, sweet, and to the point so as to keep a child's attention but they also have to not 'talk down' to children. The size of the font. The positioning of the art along with the words is also important, too. (I'll bet those of you who write 'big people' books didn't know that - did you?!)

6. Theme and Originality ... 10 of 10
Yes, there are stories about prince and princess bears and dragons and fairy tale land war and what not which leads one to think that this story isn't 100% original but when one speaks of stories in this genre - originality comes down more towards the presentation and the artwork of the story as opposed to the actual story itself. And when I take that into consideration, I can't help but give this story a full 10 because the art, which is wholly original, really makes this story come to life.

7. Description and Enhancement ... 10 of 10
Again, with a story like this where an author doesn't have the luxury of super describing a scene - a lot of the burden comes down to how the author works with the artist to help enhance the words on the page in such a way that the verbiage can be kept to a minimum thus helping to maintain the attention of young reader. All the while keeping the wording interesting enough that mom and dad or babysitter or whomever won't become bored out of their mind reading the story.

8. Intrigue ... 10 of 10
While I personally wish there was a bit more Pegasus in the story - I understand that the book wasn't written for my age group which is why I had to step back for a moment and remind myself of what it was like when my daughter was little. She was the kind of kid who would've been like Oooh, Mommy, look! It's an egg. I bet Pegasus is inside that egg. And as the story progressed to the point where Pegasus grew too big and needed to go find his own kind, I know she would've been worried about him and sad for Prince Dayshawn and Princess Kameela followed by a giddy joy when Pegasus shows back up to save the day. And that, folks, is the definition of intrigue (alright so technically it's not the definition but I think you catch my drift!)

9. Grammar and Mechanics ... 10 of 10
I really scrutinized this short little story for errors in grammar and mechanics because the one thing I loathe is when I come across children's books with technical issues. It drives me BONKERS because I know that when my daughter was young I wanted her exposed to high interest, vivid writing that was properly presented. After all, no one wants their kid to learn a bad grammatical habits thanks to a cherished book. Good job to Gina and whoever helped her edit this little gem.

10. Overall Impression ... 10 of 10
I have to admit - I rather enjoyed reading this sweet tale. I highly recommend it to anyone who has a child who still enjoys spending time in the world of imagination where bears can talk, dragons can be loved like puppies, bad guys get their comeuppance, and all the good folk can live happily ever after. Pegasus: A Dragon's Tale hits the mark 100%. ( )

Prince Dayshawn and Princess Kameela are two young bears who love to play on the grounds of their Kingdom. While out frolicking, Prince Dayshawn discovers a brightly colored egg nestled in some tall grass under a tree. The young bears take the egg home. When the egg hatches a little dragon appears. The Prince and Princess nurture and play with the dragon and name him Pegasus. When Pegasus grew to big for the Kingdom, the King banished him to a land where he could grow and some day find other dragons. As time passed the young bears grow and often wonder what had become of Pegasus. One day the Kingdom was raided, the young Prince and Princess were kidnapped. Tied up and wondering if they would survive they found themselves being rescued by a familiar friend.

LoBiondo has created a fun dragon tale that boys and girls will love. It's a great bedtime story to tell young ones. The underlying story teaches young readers about friendship and bravery. Parents can ask questions and get young readers engaged in caring for a pet, just as an example. The illustrations are small but still give readers a peek into the world of the characters. ( )