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100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli
"A nonstop dragon party . . . Irresistible." —Publishers Weekly
This wacky counting adventure by Geisel Award-winning author David LaRochelle is a hilarious ode to dragons and math, with pitch-perfect art by Lian Cho.
High on a mountain live 100 mighty dragons all named Broccoli. When a tremendous wind blows half the dragons away, ten others sail off to become professional surfers in Hawaii. The oldest and youngest dragons take a train to New York City to start their own heavy metal band. And a mysterious wizard turns four more into a unicorn, a werewolf, a zombie, and a tiny pink poodle. Now how many dragons are left? Young readers will delight in following each and every dragon as they leave their home for marvelous adventures, until there is but one dragon remaining. That's when this final dragon named Broccoli retreats to a cave for the winter and reappears in the spring with a surprise that will thrill and delight. Prepare to read again!
"Plenty of giggles . . . This is one entertaining and silly way to do math.� —Kirkus
"A hilarious, charming and extremely silly book. . . . A great addition to any child's bookshelf.� —The Minneapolis StarTribune
"So clever, so utterly silly and absurd, so delightful and so engaging." —InfoDad.com
"Colorful . . . Countable . . . Humorous . . . Lively." � Booklist
This wacky counting adventure by Geisel Award-winning author David LaRochelle is a hilarious ode to dragons and math, with pitch-perfect art by Lian Cho.
High on a mountain live 100 mighty dragons all named Broccoli. When a tremendous wind blows half the dragons away, ten others sail off to become professional surfers in Hawaii. The oldest and youngest dragons take a train to New York City to start their own heavy metal band. And a mysterious wizard turns four more into a unicorn, a werewolf, a zombie, and a tiny pink poodle. Now how many dragons are left? Young readers will delight in following each and every dragon as they leave their home for marvelous adventures, until there is but one dragon remaining. That's when this final dragon named Broccoli retreats to a cave for the winter and reappears in the spring with a surprise that will thrill and delight. Prepare to read again!
"Plenty of giggles . . . This is one entertaining and silly way to do math.� —Kirkus
"A hilarious, charming and extremely silly book. . . . A great addition to any child's bookshelf.� —The Minneapolis StarTribune
"So clever, so utterly silly and absurd, so delightful and so engaging." —InfoDad.com
"Colorful . . . Countable . . . Humorous . . . Lively." � Booklist
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2023
6 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
July 12, 2023
Just a lot of fun!!
Dragons + math (some tricky) = 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli
Dragons + math (some tricky) = 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli
April 19, 2023
So much fun! In some ways it reminds me of Sandra Boynton.
November 15, 2024
A really fun and silly story about 100 dragons all named Broccoli that has kids dividing, subtracting, and adding as they get blown away, go play football for the Green Bay Packers, etc. Some of the math is a bit difficult for my kids (5 and 2 years old), but not too advanced that I couldn't demonstrate how to do it without disrupting the flow of the narrative. And we all absolutely loved the ending; even I didn't expect it!
June 28, 2023
I am always glad to meet a few dragons--even if they all share the same name.
I am equally glad to see that some of them became professional surfers, heavy metal musicians, movie stars, and sunglasses wearers.
Never underestimate David LaRochelle.
He knows dragons.
I am equally glad to see that some of them became professional surfers, heavy metal musicians, movie stars, and sunglasses wearers.
Never underestimate David LaRochelle.
He knows dragons.
May 13, 2023
Cute picture book!
May 16, 2023
So silly and fun, maybe slightly too long for story time, but I would recommend it!
March 15, 2024
Lol the ending is so my exact brand of humour that I might dare to try to get a roomful of kids to count to 100 with me
June 8, 2024
The ending is 🤌🏻
May 17, 2023
Cho’s illustrations are charming and sweet and there’s so much to talk about as all the different dragons do different things. There’s plenty of subtraction, and that requires observation: there is just so much see. A great book for a rainy afternoon but too stimulating before bedtime!
November 12, 2024
Anyone else rush to count all the dragons on each page? I mostly resisted, but I did participate in the mental math opportunities that would be a big hit during storytime. Lots of counting opportunities for the littlest as well. Fun, high energy. Be sure to take time to read all the names at the end!
April 16, 2023
The 100 individual baby dragons at the end with their silly names had me dying laughing 😂 I especially enjoyed using this book as a read aloud for a story time!
May 2, 2023
Word problems. 100 dragons on a mountain, half of them leave, how many are left? Kind of silly art and ending.
May 9, 2023
I liked the embedded math problems and that it goes from simple to complex, but I didn't get the story as a whole and don't see any purpose to the dragons all having the same name (perhaps the ending implies it is due to them all having a single, negligent mother, but that is reading too much into it).
March 8, 2025
Hilarious! Wonderful in a group setting...the math thrown in the story is very clever.
July 21, 2023
Richie’s Picks: 100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCCOLI by David LaRochelle and Lian Cho, ill., Penguin Random House/Dial, April 2023, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-525-55544-5
�...nine black lines and eight purple roller skates and seven neat orange feet and six yellow chicks and five pink opera singing wives and four brown doors and three green trees and two red beds and one white crocodile smile.�
–Richard Hefter, from the memorable 1974 counting picture book ONE WHITE CROCODILE SMILE
“Noble kings and princes would bow whenever they came
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name�
� Peter Yarrow (1963)
As the first child of a bookkeeper-turned-mom, I was born into the world of numbers. But other kids don’t necessarily have the same affinity and passion for arithmetic that I displayed. They can use a fun twist or two (or 100) to ease into their math assignments.
I’m grinning after reading 100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCCOLI, a crack-up of a picture book that turns arithmetic–specifically subtraction–into a goofy romp:
�...10 dragons sailed away on a cruise ship and became professional surfers in Hawaii.
This left�
40 mighty dragons, all named Broccoli.
The oldest dragon and the youngest dragon took a train to New York City and started their own heavy metal band.
This left�
38 mighty dragons all named Broccoli.
A mysterious wizard appeared and turned
1 dragon into a unicorn,
1 dragon into a werewolf
1 dragon into a zombie
and 1 dragon into a tiny pink poodle.
This left…�
The bright acrylic and pencil coloring of Lian Cho’s illustrations will grab the attention of young readers. The fact that every one of the 100 dragons has a unique visual persona will keep them looking.
The tale concludes with a pair of spreads within which each of 100 dragons (the next generation) are portrayed like a yearbook. In addition to their unique appearances, they also have interesting, multicultural names, for example: Lassie, Lucas, Luigi, Little Joe, Lateesha, and Microwave Oven.
LOL
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks
[email protected]
�...nine black lines and eight purple roller skates and seven neat orange feet and six yellow chicks and five pink opera singing wives and four brown doors and three green trees and two red beds and one white crocodile smile.�
–Richard Hefter, from the memorable 1974 counting picture book ONE WHITE CROCODILE SMILE
“Noble kings and princes would bow whenever they came
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name�
� Peter Yarrow (1963)
As the first child of a bookkeeper-turned-mom, I was born into the world of numbers. But other kids don’t necessarily have the same affinity and passion for arithmetic that I displayed. They can use a fun twist or two (or 100) to ease into their math assignments.
I’m grinning after reading 100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCCOLI, a crack-up of a picture book that turns arithmetic–specifically subtraction–into a goofy romp:
�...10 dragons sailed away on a cruise ship and became professional surfers in Hawaii.
This left�
40 mighty dragons, all named Broccoli.
The oldest dragon and the youngest dragon took a train to New York City and started their own heavy metal band.
This left�
38 mighty dragons all named Broccoli.
A mysterious wizard appeared and turned
1 dragon into a unicorn,
1 dragon into a werewolf
1 dragon into a zombie
and 1 dragon into a tiny pink poodle.
This left…�
The bright acrylic and pencil coloring of Lian Cho’s illustrations will grab the attention of young readers. The fact that every one of the 100 dragons has a unique visual persona will keep them looking.
The tale concludes with a pair of spreads within which each of 100 dragons (the next generation) are portrayed like a yearbook. In addition to their unique appearances, they also have interesting, multicultural names, for example: Lassie, Lucas, Luigi, Little Joe, Lateesha, and Microwave Oven.
LOL
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks
[email protected]
Read
March 14, 2023See my full review here:
100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCCOLI is a silly picture book that plays with numbers. The story begins with 100 mighty dragons who are all named Broccoli before half of them blow away to leave 50 mighty dragons. As others come and go, the numbers change, until there is only one, living alone. She goes into a cave, leaving zero. When she reemerges from the cave, she has 100 little dragons with her - and she knows just what to name them...
What I loved: This is a silly book that will make children giggle with a new twist on the traditional counting books. This one brings some more complicated math concepts with adding, subtracting, and simple division throughout the story. While older readers may enjoy trying the math out for themselves, younger readers can still enjoy the silliness of how they all come and go, particularly the wizard who turns some of them into silly things. The colorful illustrations bring the dragons and scenario to life for young readers with plenty of detail to keep readers engaged throughout.
Final verdict: 100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCCOLI is a silly picture book that is sure to make children giggle with this new twist on a counting book. This will work well for preschoolers through elementary school readers.
100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCCOLI is a silly picture book that plays with numbers. The story begins with 100 mighty dragons who are all named Broccoli before half of them blow away to leave 50 mighty dragons. As others come and go, the numbers change, until there is only one, living alone. She goes into a cave, leaving zero. When she reemerges from the cave, she has 100 little dragons with her - and she knows just what to name them...
What I loved: This is a silly book that will make children giggle with a new twist on the traditional counting books. This one brings some more complicated math concepts with adding, subtracting, and simple division throughout the story. While older readers may enjoy trying the math out for themselves, younger readers can still enjoy the silliness of how they all come and go, particularly the wizard who turns some of them into silly things. The colorful illustrations bring the dragons and scenario to life for young readers with plenty of detail to keep readers engaged throughout.
Final verdict: 100 MIGHTY DRAGONS ALL NAMED BROCCOLI is a silly picture book that is sure to make children giggle with this new twist on a counting book. This will work well for preschoolers through elementary school readers.
May 7, 2023
Counting books are getting mighty sophisticated. This one, for instance.
What a knee-slapping, head-tickling premise, designing the book so it involves subtracting one dragon after another from that initial total of 100.
Will this jaunty picture book be able to prep kids for STEM better than the old word problems I remember from high school? Definitely. Expect this book's math thinking to be perfectly congruent with twinkles in your eyes as a reader, and delightfully dragonish thoughts in your kids.
Especially delightful is the brilliantly illustrated set of dragon thumbnails, with james and shapes and a ton of giggles packed along.
Finally, I'll admit this: I was skeptical about that title, "100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli"?
Skeptical no more, I'm singing loudly "FIVE STARS."
What a knee-slapping, head-tickling premise, designing the book so it involves subtracting one dragon after another from that initial total of 100.
Will this jaunty picture book be able to prep kids for STEM better than the old word problems I remember from high school? Definitely. Expect this book's math thinking to be perfectly congruent with twinkles in your eyes as a reader, and delightfully dragonish thoughts in your kids.
Especially delightful is the brilliantly illustrated set of dragon thumbnails, with james and shapes and a ton of giggles packed along.
Finally, I'll admit this: I was skeptical about that title, "100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli"?
Skeptical no more, I'm singing loudly "FIVE STARS."
Read
July 19, 2024The illustrations are beautiful, but I don't really see the appeal, even as a counting book. Maybe it's just because I'm an adult, but I got hung up on the fact that all the dragons are named Broccoli, and I kept asking why and waiting for the story to answer that question, but it never did. I also think it's misleading that one page had the dragons move to North Carolina, South Carolina, and North Dakota, but then "East Texas" was listed as the fourth location. That's not an actual state with the geographic direction as part of its name, so it might give kids the wrong idea since it's not like the others. The ending also didn't make sense to me—where did the ?? The names, and again, illustrations, of all the baby dragons were really cute, though.
July 23, 2023
My son (Benji) and I recently read this book called "100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli" by David Larochelle. I wanted to tell everyone about how great it is! This book is full of bright and vibrant colors and adorable illistrations. What I liked about it is how they snuck in different kinds of math. Right off the gate we were dividing the dragons, then adding and subtracting. They even tried to trip the kids off with throwing a zero problem in there. We used a number chart so that Benji could see the fluctuate of numbers easier. I highly recommend this for any number lovers or dragon fans. I purchased one for his Kindergarten Teacher next month.
July 29, 2023
A high energy picture book about 100 dragons living on a mountain who are all named Broccoli. However, they aren't on a mountain for long. Some are blown off the mountain, but many leave for various reasons. The illustrations are hilarious in their detailed depictions of the dragons' ridiculous adventures. Then there's the text, it's basically one long goofy math problem, and oh, is the math problem fun! A wonderfully lively picture book with silly dragons, some amusing math, and a really great ending!
December 25, 2023
Kid appeal combined with sophisticated math skills make this accounting book a masterpiece read aloud. In a cave lived 100 dragons named Broccoli and across the text woven into the narration, various dragons leave (for various reasons and destinations) including to two start a heavy metal rock band and moving to East Texas and... flew to Sweden. Adding, subtracting, and simply multiplying are cleverly woven into this story. Highly colorful illustrations heighten the kid friendly fun story that will have kids doing math in their heads.
March 3, 2024
This book is about 100 dragons and you guessed their all named broccoli! A math approach to fun children's text about dragons. We start with all 100 dragons on the island and as we move through the story we have different numbers leave and return. We do the math as each page progresses to see how many dragons are left! I would use this book to have my students complete simple math problems and have fun guessing the amount of dragons and seeing all the different silly things the dragons leave to do!
March 18, 2024
Funny, wacky, with silly pictures that are bright and colorful enough for a classroom read-aloud, but with small details for kids to pour over while reading in a parents lap, this picture succeeds as both a family read-aloud and a story time read-aloud. The counting-down aspect engages elementary aged kids, grades 1 - 3rd, while the silly story keeps little preK kids fascinated. And the ending, with the touch of sadness and winter hibernation ends with perfectly wonderful surprise.
This one is going into permanant story time rotation.
This one is going into permanant story time rotation.
picture-books
April 4, 2025Date: 03.28.25
Attendees: 69
Theme: Dragons
Introduction and announcements: Tickle the Moon
Book one: The Worst Princess by Anna Kemp
Song/rhyme/game one: Dragon-Turn Around Once
Book two: 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle
Song/rhyme/game two: Move! By Super Simple Songs
Book three: I Will Not Eat You by Adam Lehrhaunt
Song/ rhyme/ game three: Roar went the Dragon (with rhythm sticks)
Activity:
Attendees: 69
Theme: Dragons
Introduction and announcements: Tickle the Moon
Book one: The Worst Princess by Anna Kemp
Song/rhyme/game one: Dragon-Turn Around Once
Book two: 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle
Song/rhyme/game two: Move! By Super Simple Songs
Book three: I Will Not Eat You by Adam Lehrhaunt
Song/ rhyme/ game three: Roar went the Dragon (with rhythm sticks)
Activity:
April 6, 2023
An instant favourite with my 6 and 3 year olds! So many fun and clever details to notice in the art, and the math angle is perfect for my counting-obsessed eldest. We've read it at bedtime every night this week, and are still finding little easter eggs and gags we missed! My youngest will also spend ages assigning a dragon to each family member, it's so adorable. This book is guaranteed to be a hit with any kid, and can stand up to infinite rereads-- a MUST BUY!
April 18, 2023
Once there were 100 dragons all named Broccoli. And so begins a hilarious tale of dragons getting blown away by wind, being turned into poodles, playing football for the Green Bay Packers and so forth. At the end is one lonely dragon who sadly slips into a cave. She emerges in the Spring with 100 baby dragons behind her who all of their very own name.
Not really a counting book as a book that encourages math skills.
Not really a counting book as a book that encourages math skills.
December 4, 2023
100 dragons leave their mountain home in varying numbers until only one remains.
This picture book is a story with math rather than a concept book that teaches counting down book . There is no pattern to the numbers being subtracted, and multiple terms are often subtracted before the difference is given. At one point, the variables weren’t even given, only the new difference. While this made for a livelier story, it makes for a very ineffectiveness concept book.
This picture book is a story with math rather than a concept book that teaches counting down book . There is no pattern to the numbers being subtracted, and multiple terms are often subtracted before the difference is given. At one point, the variables weren’t even given, only the new difference. While this made for a livelier story, it makes for a very ineffectiveness concept book.
May 18, 2024
Once upon a time, 100 dragons lived on a mountain. They were all named broccoli. But with the power of math, that number changes, generally subtracting, occasionally in a hilarious way.
I chortled while reading this book. Chortled! I hope the librarian didn't mind. Silly things happened, yet the narration remained stoic, which only added to my amusement. I'd read this book again many times. The illustrations are so vivid, I think I'd find something new to love each time.
I chortled while reading this book. Chortled! I hope the librarian didn't mind. Silly things happened, yet the narration remained stoic, which only added to my amusement. I'd read this book again many times. The illustrations are so vivid, I think I'd find something new to love each time.
August 8, 2024
There are 100 mighty dragons that are all named Broccoli. But then half fly away, so there are....50 left. And some take a train to New York City. And the dragons wearing sunglasses fly to France. With each departure, readers can determine how many dragons are left. This is a fun way for students/readers to practice addition, subtraction and multiplication. And the illustrations are SO FUN! And the last two pages made me laugh.
January 2, 2025
This starts out as a counting book, and I started to get ideas of how I could use my flannel board to help the story time kids visualize what was happening, but then the numbers get a little crazy to the point where even adults aren't going to be able to keep up. It's cute and it's humorous and it has dragons, not sure if I will use it in my story time though as it might work better with early elementary students.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
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