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My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon
When a young boy loses his mother, an invisible dragon swoops in and perches on top of his head. A most unwelcome guest, the dragon follows him to school, sleeps on his chest at night (making it hard for him to breathe), and even crashes his birthday party. As the boy comes to terms with his mother’s death, however, his relationship with the dragon changes in surprising ways.
My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon is a story for children dealing with loss, particularly the death of a parent. Although grief is a heavy topic, Angie Lucas and Birgitta Sif handle it deftly for children, using the metaphor of the dragon, a light tone, and touches of humor. The book shows that healing takes time and that it’s OK to experience a wide range of emotions as you process a really big loss.
My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon is a story for children dealing with loss, particularly the death of a parent. Although grief is a heavy topic, Angie Lucas and Birgitta Sif handle it deftly for children, using the metaphor of the dragon, a light tone, and touches of humor. The book shows that healing takes time and that it’s OK to experience a wide range of emotions as you process a really big loss.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published July 23, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 23, 2019
After reading a number of picture books using metaphors to talk about emotions, I've come to the conclusion that this is something that's really hard to get right. Often, the stories are confusing, convoluted, age-inappropriate, or internally inconsistent. My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon, however, is a book that gets it right. By personifying dragonifying grief, the book demystifies the grieving process for children.
When a boy suddenly loses his mother, the dragon--complete with his funky purple boots--shows up. And he won't leave. He sits on the boy's head when he's trying to get through the school day. He lies on the boy's chest when he's trying to sleep. And he even shows up on happy occasions like playdates and birthdays. The boy learns to deal with the dragon as best he can. After a while, though, something strange begins to happen. The dragon doesn't spend all his time with the boy. Sometimes he's gone for a few hours. Sometimes he's gone for a whole weekend! And the boy realizes that, as time passes (and as he gets older), the dragon seems to be getting smaller. While it'll never go away, it can become much more manageable.
I like the message here about having compassion for others' grief as well. Talking and sharing are important, as is being a good friend. I really like how the book manages to talk about such a serious, potentially depressing subject and not have it seem too heavy. Anyone who's dealt with grief of any sort will be able to relate to the boy and his bothersome dragon who weighs him down and just won't leave.
Highly recommended to readers looking for books about emotions, and especially those searching out kid-friendly books about dealing with grief. It's one of the best books dealing with tough emotions that I've seen so far.
Quotable moment:
When a boy suddenly loses his mother, the dragon--complete with his funky purple boots--shows up. And he won't leave. He sits on the boy's head when he's trying to get through the school day. He lies on the boy's chest when he's trying to sleep. And he even shows up on happy occasions like playdates and birthdays. The boy learns to deal with the dragon as best he can. After a while, though, something strange begins to happen. The dragon doesn't spend all his time with the boy. Sometimes he's gone for a few hours. Sometimes he's gone for a whole weekend! And the boy realizes that, as time passes (and as he gets older), the dragon seems to be getting smaller. While it'll never go away, it can become much more manageable.
I like the message here about having compassion for others' grief as well. Talking and sharing are important, as is being a good friend. I really like how the book manages to talk about such a serious, potentially depressing subject and not have it seem too heavy. Anyone who's dealt with grief of any sort will be able to relate to the boy and his bothersome dragon who weighs him down and just won't leave.
Highly recommended to readers looking for books about emotions, and especially those searching out kid-friendly books about dealing with grief. It's one of the best books dealing with tough emotions that I've seen so far.
Quotable moment:
August 9, 2024
Beautiful book for children about dealing with grief. The metaphor of the dragon works perfectly, and the art is wonderful.
July 29, 2019
This is a wonderful book for anyone grieving. It's a beautiful, heartbreaking, and ultimately comforting story.
July 23, 2019
What a touching book! It's written as a metaphor for loss but can represent anything we struggle with that doesn't show from the outside, chronic pain, brain injury, anxiety, trauma... A beautiful reminder of how it can feel and that others may be feeling those things too.
July 20, 2023
I loved the use of the invisible dragon as metaphor for grief and loss. It weighs heavy and it never leaves. Sometimes it feels like it has gone away, but it comes back and attends your birthday parties wearing a party hat.
A good book for kids who have lost a parent and are dealing with a complex emotion like grief.
A good book for kids who have lost a parent and are dealing with a complex emotion like grief.
September 3, 2019
This is a great book when discussing loss and the death of a family member. It was not what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised by the grace with which it covered such a hard topic.
August 9, 2019
A wonderful children's book about loss with the "big, dumb, invisible dragon" as a physical manifestation of loss. I think it has a very beautiful ending and the illustrations lovely too.
August 2, 2019
This book is lovely and was a total surprise. When our hero loses their mother (we do not know if she left or died), that loss is seen as a big, dumb, invisible dragon. This dragon sits on their chest, makes other kids not play with them, and makes regular activities difficult. This is a wonderful visualization for loss and readers will appreciate the sensitive nature of how the topic is handled.
For: readers who are going through a tough loss.
Possible red flags: depictions of sadness/depression.
For: readers who are going through a tough loss.
Possible red flags: depictions of sadness/depression.
August 2, 2019
All of us, even children, have something weighing us down. The impact of grief and stress is imagined in this book as a dragon. Sometimes it feels as if the dragon will always be with the boy in the story, and his presence affects everything he does. However, as the story progresses, the dragon becomes smaller, lighter, and more manageable...a great metaphor.
July 29, 2019
This is a beautiful story about losing a loved one, told with such warmth and sensitivity. It’s a children’s picture book but I think it has an insightful and comforting message for anyone who has experienced loss or profound pain and grief of any kind. The illustrations are delightful and feel like a perfect fit to go with the text. I loved it.
July 19, 2019
"My Big Dumb Invisible Dragon" tells the story of a young boy who loses his mother and has an invisible dragon swoop in and follow him everywhere. I'm not going to give away the ending—let's just say it's the kind of story that lets you think about things like grief and other hard challenges that come with living and leaves you looking at the people around you with more appreciation and kindness. It's truthful and funny and the illustrations are genuinely delightful.
My 13-year-old literally said "aww, this is a really good book mom!" when she read it, and that's pretty much the highest praise ever in my house right now.
I don't know how else to express how much I loved this book! It was thoughtful, compassionate, magical, and honest—the kind of thing I want to read with all the kids I know. Trust me on this one: if you have a child in your life who likes to read with you, or who is facing a challenge, this book is perfect!
My 13-year-old literally said "aww, this is a really good book mom!" when she read it, and that's pretty much the highest praise ever in my house right now.
I don't know how else to express how much I loved this book! It was thoughtful, compassionate, magical, and honest—the kind of thing I want to read with all the kids I know. Trust me on this one: if you have a child in your life who likes to read with you, or who is facing a challenge, this book is perfect!
July 25, 2019
A lovely story about grief and loss. Simple, easy writing and illustrations. Deals with a difficult topic in a beautiful way. Highly recommend!
October 21, 2019
This was a wonderful story of grief that put a concept that is incredibly difficult (even for adults) into very child-friendly terms. Imaginative and heartfelt, this book has sad moments but leaves the reader feeling full of hope. I have never had grief so accurately explained and love the depiction of it as a dragon. Wonderful story!
December 3, 2019
A cleverly imagined exploration of grief following the death of a boy’s mother. The dragon, grief, has something of the intrusive Corvid in Max Porter’s Grief is the Thing With Feathers, but this needy, nosy new visitor is a gentler picture. Will it take the hint and go away? Will the boy have to accept it?
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December 19, 2019"All I know is I didn't see him coming. And once he was there, he would not go away." Such a well written and beautiful story about the pain, the many emotions felt, and the healing that can occur with time when a child loses a loved one, specifically a parent. It's a tough and somber subject, but it's a valuable story when it is needed. – Megan G.
August 11, 2019
This is my debut picture book! I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. The illustrations by Birgitta Sif brought my story to life more beautifully than I ever imagined. Truly, a dream come true.
March 3, 2020
Loved how Angie describes grief and the progression it takes for each of us. It’s easy to understand and relate to as a child or as an adult. She gives every reader the reminder to look for invisible dragons that are weighing on those around us.
The illustrations are wonderful.
The illustrations are wonderful.
May 11, 2024
One of the guys I do speech with at work had this book with him and I liked the illustrations so I read it with him. It was surprising and lovely. It tackles the ideas of grief, anxiety and depression. These can be hard for children to identify or understand, and this book personifies these feelings into a big invisible dragon, which I think could be a helpful comparison. I love that the book didn’t suggest that you should expect the dragon to go away completely, but that it might go away sometimes, it can get smaller with time and age, and that what is most important is the person “under the dragon.”
April 17, 2022
A beautiful story to help talk about grief and how it can weigh you down, how it doesn’t go away, but can get lighter with time. Really expertly executed, it made me tear up. Lovely illustrations.
August 17, 2019
When Ollie's mom comes to pick the boys up at the park she opens her mouth three times before she can speak. Immediately a big giant invisible dragon appears and sits on top of Ollie's friend. No one can see the dragon, but it weighs heavy on his chest when he tries to sleep and even keeps his friends away from him. It keeps him from concentrating and makes it hard for him to stand up straight. Ever since the dragon appeared, the boy and his father have to learn how to live without his mother. He tries to get rid of the dragon by shouting at him and even ignoring him, but he won't go away. Eventually, Ollie comes back and invites the boy to go back to the park to play. They start to see animals in the sky and the boy notices that his dragon floats away for a few minutes. Little by little the dragon begins to spend more and more time away, although it is never completely gone. But now the boy knows how to recognize when someone else has a big dumb invisible dragon weighing them down, and he can help.
February 14, 2024
In this book, a big, dumb invisible dragon comes to sit on the main character's head the day his mom died. He tries everything to get it to leave, but it is always there. But as time passes, things change, and the dragon doesn't feel quite so heavy anymore.
This book gives such a great depiction of how it can feel when you lose someone you love. It makes it so understandable to kids, and would be a great tool for any kid going through such a loss.
The images are just right, and bring the story the perfect whimsical feel for any story involving a dragon. I especially loved the extra little details that are sprinkled in every image. They add so much!
If you're looking for a book to help kids get through a tough time after a death, this is it.
This book gives such a great depiction of how it can feel when you lose someone you love. It makes it so understandable to kids, and would be a great tool for any kid going through such a loss.
The images are just right, and bring the story the perfect whimsical feel for any story involving a dragon. I especially loved the extra little details that are sprinkled in every image. They add so much!
If you're looking for a book to help kids get through a tough time after a death, this is it.
August 31, 2020
My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon is an extremely well-done book about the subject of grief through the eyes of a child. Within the pages a dragon moves in and won’t leave when a little boy loses his mother. What follows is a beautiful story that takes grief and helps really explain it to a child with all of the funny things the dragon does. Combining the poignant and sometimes funny words with illustrations handled expertly by Brigitta Sif, this book is a treasure that I would give to anyone dealing with grief whether they be a kid or adult. I myself could have used this book a few times in the past and I would recommend it to anyone of any age dealing with subject. I particularly loved the read aloud YouTube video, makes me cry every time. This is so well done!
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November 5, 2020I absolutely loved this book. From the first words on the shock of loss -- "I didn't see him coming" -- this book reflects the many feelings and confusion that swirl after a loss of a loved one. It felt both calming and comforting, as well as hopeful -- as it shows that both the normality of waves of grief, how they appear and disappear, but also how they can and will lessen with time. Absolutely beautiful!
May 5, 2020
Perfect. Everything about this book from its pictures to its text is perfect. It's a heavy topic (losing someone you love) but it was handled beautifully. It made it light enough for children to handle through the pictures and personification of loss through a dragon while still giving the topic the depth and magnitude it deserves. It did not make light of death or loss-- instead, it gave a way for children to know that they WILL feel that way, it's OKAY to feel that way, and even other children may feel the same way when they too have experienced losing a loved one. It was a lovely book.
September 4, 2019
A good picture book on grief. Following the same concept of "When Sadness is At Your Door" and "Ruby Finds a Worry" where an invisible creature personifying a child's feelings follows them around and keeps getting bigger and bigger (except this book was more geared towards the pain of losing a family member). I really loved the illustrations--I love Birgitta Sif's color choice and style. And her dragons are drawn very charmingly.
August 19, 2019
This is a beautiful story about a child’s grief, personified by an invisible dragon. The illustrations are gorgeous. This sweet picture book is perfect for anyone who has felt the weight of loss. Highly recommended.
October 2, 2019
This was a good look at what depression and sadness can be like for a kid, especially after a traumatizing event. They may not fully understand what's happening to them, and it may take them a long time to feel better. And that's ok.
December 11, 2019
"All I know is I didn't see him coming. And once he was there, he would not go away."
A well done story about healing and the pain that comes with losing a loved one. Definitely powerful and valuable read. Counselors would benefit to having this one around.
A well done story about healing and the pain that comes with losing a loved one. Definitely powerful and valuable read. Counselors would benefit to having this one around.
January 6, 2020
turns out this is about the death of a parent and the depression and feelings that follow. while it's not overt, a preschooler probably isn't going to randomly proclaim this their favorite book, but it's well done and will be appreciated by people who need something like this
August 13, 2019
Yes it’s a children’s book, but it’s mostly a reminder that everyone is carrying around their own big, dumb invisible dragon.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews