Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me stage.
Why it fits Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me (for the kindergarten-ready set, between being read to and reading alone)
Zoey treats sick magical creatures using the actual scientific method. Hypotheses and observation journals sneak into a fantasy. Science-minded and story-minded kids meet in the middle.
What makes it special
Citro embeds the actual scientific method — observe, hypothesize, test, record — inside a magical-creature vet practice. The friendly ink illustrations include Zoey's own 'field journal' pages, which children immediately copy. Fantasy that teaches evidence-thinking is a rare hybrid, and this is its best specimen.
About Asia Citro
Asia Citro taught middle-school science before founding the popular blog Fun at Home with Kids and writing Zoey and Sassafras — the rare chapter-book series with a working scientific method and a stuffed-animal-soft heart.
Also by this author: Zoey and Sassafras: Monsters and Mold · 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids
More from “Chapter One, Together”
This book is part of The Best Books for Beginning Readers: 30 Teacher Picks (Read-to-Me, Read-by-Me) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.