We Are Sad - Dear Dragon - Developing Readers - Note to Caregivers

Sep 29, 2026

Developing Readers for early learners built around “We Are Sad, Dear Dragon” by Marla Conn, illustrated by Jack Pullan, designed to support emergent reading with repetitive words and phrases, predictable language patterns, easy high-frequency and decodable words, and clear illustrations. The caregiver note explains how the series builds phonological awareness, letter formation, spacing, directionality, and oral and written communication, and guides children toward fluency through strategies like error correction, problem solving with new words, and reading for comprehension. Includes a short “Words in this book” word list and an opening story segment about being sad and wanting to be happy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Note to Caregivers

Words in This Book

Picture Glossary

Common Sight Words

I Am Sad, Dear Dragon - I Want to Be Happy!

we Are SadDear Dragon by Marla Conn Illustrated by Jack Pullan Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2022 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/wearesaddeardrag0000conn Dear Dragon Developing ReadersWe Are Sad,Dear Dragonby Marla Connllustrated by Jack Pullan NoRwooDHousE雪PRESS NOTE TO CAREGIVERS:It is apleasure to have the opportunity to adapt Margaret Hillert's Dear Dragonbooks for emergent readers!Children will grow and learn to read independently with the boy and hisloveable pet dragon as they have done for over 30 years! The new Dear Dragon Developing Readers series gives young children experiences with book conceptsand print,and enables them to learn how language works;phonological awareness,letter formation,spaces,words,directionality and oral and written communication. Emergent Readers are just beginning to control early reading behaviors and require books that haveahigh level of support including: ·Repetitive words and phrases ·Predictable &repeated language patterns ·Easy high frequency and decodable words ·Simple story lines ·llustrations that support the text ·Familiar topics &vocabulary We look forward to watching the lightbulb go on as emerging readers expand their literacy powers;building important strategies for maintaining fluency,correcting error,problem solving new words,andreading and writing for comprehension.The Dear Dragon Developing Readers will ultimately guidechildren through the more complex text in Dear Dragon Beginning-to-Read Books as they becomecurious,confident,independent learners. Happy Reading! Muee Ce Marla Conn,MS Ed.Literacy Consultant/Author Norwood House PressChicago,Ilinois For more information about Norwood House Press please visit our websiteat:www.norwoodhousepress.com or call 866-565-2900. Copyright G2020 by Norwood House Press.Al ights reserved.Adapted from Who Feels Sad,DearDragon by Margaret Hllert.All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without writtenpermission from the publisher. Beginning-to-Read7 is a registered trademark of Norwood House Press. # LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Names:Conn,Marla,author.|Pullan,Jack,illustrator. Title:We are sad,Dear Dragon/by Marla Conn;illustrated by Jack Pullan. Description:Chicago.Ilinois:Norwood House Press,[2019]ISeries:Dear Dragon developing readerslIncludes note to caregivers and activities. Identifiers:LCCN 2018054636IISBN 9781684509775(library edition:alk.paper)I ISBN9781684043286(pbk.IISBN9781684043538(ebook) Subjects:LCSH:Readers(Primary)IDragons-Juvenile fiction.ISadness-Juvenile fiction. Classification:LCC PEI119.C6382019|DDC 428.6/2-dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018054636 Hardcover ISBN:978-1-68450-977-5 Paperback ISBN:978-1-68404-328-6 319N-072019 Manufactured in the United States of America in North Mankato,Minnesota. # WORDS IN THIS BOOK PICTURE GLOSSARY: teacher sad Mother Dear Dragon share happy COMMON SIGHT WORDS: ·did·know·sorry·was ·a ·about·do·mad·talk·we ·had·make·that·will ·am ·the·with ·he·me ·to·you ·at·how·my ·be·not·today ·want(s) ·school ·boy # I am sad,Dear Dragon.I want to be happy! The boy will not share the toy.I want the toy and he wants the toy! 7 I am not happy. The boy is not happy.The teacher is not happy!

FAQs

What learning support does the Developing Readers series emphasize?

It emphasizes repetitive words and phrases, predictable language patterns, easy high-frequency and decodable words, and illustrations that support the text. It also targets phonological awareness, letter formation, spacing, words, directionality, and oral and written communication.

How can caregivers support emergent readers using this book?

Caregivers can use the caregiver guidance provided, helping children build strategies for maintaining fluency, correcting errors, solving problems with new words, and reading and writing for comprehension.

What story idea appears in the opening section of the book?

The opening shows the boy expressing sadness—“I am sad, Dear Dragon”—and wanting to be happy, including conflict about sharing a toy and feelings of being not happy.

Sep 29, 2026

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