Friendship and Fun: Read Our Review of Bunny and Bird #1: How to Hatch a Dragon by Nick Bland

Bunny and Bird are best friends. When Bunny buys Bird a present, Bird is surprised to receive an egg. But it’s no ordinary egg. It’s a dragon’s egg.

While the egg hatches, the two friends learn that if the dragon is blue, it will make a fantastic pet. But if it’s yellow, they’re in trouble…

From Australia’s award-winning picture book creator Nick Bland comes a new series that celebrates friendship and fun, perfect for children aged 3+.

Bland is one of Australia’s bestselling authors and illustrators. His books include the hugely popular The Very Cranky Bear series, The Runaway Hug with Freya Blackwood and The Wrong Book. We know BR Kids readers are massive fans of Bland’s work, with The Very Cranky Bear series making our Top 50 Kids list for consecutive years.

This enjoyable picture book follows the friendship of a rabbit and a bird. In appearance, they’re total opposites: light and dark, fur and feathers. But this unlikely duo complement each other perfectly; friendship really does come in all shapes, textures and sizes.

The events take place at a park, where Bird gifts Bunny with a dragon’s egg. Together, they learn about the different coloured dragons and what they eat, act like, and which is the ideal pet: blue = good, yellow = bad. And so they wait to see what type sits inside the unhatched egg.

With vibrant autumnal, illustrated hues of, green, brown, yellow and orange, it’s no wonder the yellow dragon blended in so well… and, no, I’m not talking about the dragon in the egg – you’ll have to read this yourself to find out what colour it is.

The story unfolds in one setting at the park, which allows the story to move quickly and seamlessly alongside Bland’s witty prose. How to Hatch a Dragon allows young readers to tap into their curiosity as they learn important lessons about friendship and not judging a book by its cover – or, in this case, colour!

Filled with hilarity and banter, this picture book is perfect for fun storytime or bedtime reading. We can’t wait to see what Bland has in store next for Bunny and Bird.

Buy a copy of Bunny and Bird here.

Nick Bland

Nick Bland was born on a farm in the Australian Yarra Valley in 1973. The son of an artist and a primary school teacher, he spent his early childhood climbing haystacks and making mischief in his father's studio. When he moved to “the bush” at age 6, he discovered a wonderful new world and his creativity bloomed. Nick always told family and friends he was going to be a cartoonist and a writer. It wasn't until 1996, when he stumbled into a bookshop job, that he finally found the medium that would bring those two loves together. Untrained, he spent the next couple of years reading every picture book that hit the shelves and began honing his style as a storyteller and illustrator. He illustrated several readers before sending A Monster Wrote Me a Letter to Scholastic Australia in 2001. Since then, Nick illustrated I Lost My Kisses and created The Very Cranky Bear. He lives in tropical Darwin, where he works as a guardian for 120 aboriginal boys who board nearby. He loves both of his jobs and hopes to combine them in the near future.