Sylvia and Bird by Catherine Rayner

Little Tiger Press, 2009 ISBN 9781845068578
(Age: 4-6) Recommended. Picture book. Friendship. The shimmer-shiny dragon called Sylvia is all alone. She cannot find any other dragons to be her friend. But one day, feeling very lonely she sees a bird on the branch beneath her. Bird was building a nest, so Sylvia helped. They became friends and spent all of their time together, doing things that friends do. But when Bird went away to join his other friends, the birds, for a chat, Sylvia was left all alone again. She thought to herself that perhaps there were dragons on the moon, so decided to fly there. Bird knew that Sylvia was unhappy so went with her on her flight to the moon, but it soon became obvious that Bird could not cope with the cold and height of their travel, so she plummeted back to earth, caught just in time by Sylvia.
And so they stayed on the ground, content with each other, friends for all their days.
This charming story, superbly illustrated by Rayner, with soft swathes of watercolour across the pages, will delight younger readers, and teachers will be able to use the book to discuss what being a friend means with the class.
Fran Knight