Abstract

When things don't go our way, the Disappointment Dragon can come to visit and take us down to his home in the Valley of Despair…

The Disappointment Dragon sometimes comes to see us all and, if we let him, he can make us feel sad or angry. He visits Bobby when he is not picked for the school football team, he also finds Lucinda when she has to miss an exciting school trip because she has the Chicken Pox. He even tries to take the whole of Class Three down to the Valley of Despair when their favourite teacher moves away. Will the Dragon of Hope be able to chase away the Disappointment Dragon and help them see things more positively?

The fun characters in this charming, fully illustrated storybook will help children to cope with, and discuss openly, their feelings of disappointment. There are many creative suggestions on how to banish the Disappointment Dragon and an introduction for adults explaining disappointment in children and how they can help.

This fun, easy-to-read and fully illustrated storybook will help children who experience disappointment, and encourage them to use a range of helpful strategies to manage disappointment. The stories in this beautiful book will allow children to understand that everyone experiences disappointment for a range of reasons, however it is important to learn how to overcome it. Educators, parents and carers will like the helpful information at the end of the book, explaining disappointment in children, and the list of techniques for children to try to banish the Disappointment Dragon. The Disappointment Dragon will be a wonderful companion to Kay Al-Ghani's previous two books The Red Beast and The Panicosaurus.
Sue Larkey, Autism Spectrum specialist, teacher and author of Making it a Success, Practical Sensory Programmes and Practical Mathematics for Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Delays

This book is much more than a picture book for children...The author's intention is to model for children how to manage complex emotions such as disappointment... The book includes information for adults and a list of techniques for children that teachers, parents and professionals will find helpful.... The stories in the book could be
used by parents and professionals as a tool to support children in exploring their own experiences of disappointment and other emotions. The colourful descriptive examples not only bring the story alive, but give examples of when disappointment may arise so children can then link back to their own experience.

Nina Ridsdale
BAPT - Play Therapy
(...) colourful, heart-warming book... The stories within this book show children they are not alone with these difficult feelings. We read about the personal journey the fund characters take, leading them to the dragon of hope and a better understanding of disappointment.
Wellbeing Mentor
K. I. Al-Ghani is a specialist Advisory teacher, Inclusion Consultant and Autism Trainer, with over 35 years experience in education. She is currently a specialist teacher for inclusion support and is involved with training professionals, students and parents in aspects of ASD. As an international author and mother of a son with ASD, she has spent the last 25 years researching the enigma that is autism. Haitham Al-Ghani is 27 years of age. He earned a triple distinction in multimedia studies and was the 2007 winner of the Vincent Lines Award for creative excellence. Haitham is an author, cartoon animator and the illustrator of many children's books.
There are dozens of helpful suggestions for coping strategies at the end of the book, including little poems or "mantras". While the story is written by a specialist in Asperger syndrome and the pictures are by her son who has AS, the stories would be good for anyone who, perhaps, has a problem with dealing with disappointment. Great for schools took and everyone will love the dragons!
Healthy Books
The disappointment dragon is Kay Al-Ghani at her best. Through the use of simple and powerful language Kay has crafted a guide for modelling the power of resilience to our children. It isn't often that you find a children's book that is as educational to the parent as it is to the child.
Brian R. King, clinical social worker, consultant on the autism spectrum and author of Strategies for Building Successful Relationships with People on the Autism Spectrum: Let's Relate
This is a great therapeutic story book which cleverly conceptualizes the feeling of disappointment as a dragon... Written by a Specialist Advisory Teacher for autism, with more than 35 years' experience in education... aimed at any child who may be struggling to deal with their emotions when things don't always go to plan, the visual concept would particularly appeal to children with autism, helping them to understand the feeling of disappointment. This book serves as an excellent discussion point about coping strategies and "armour" that can help the children to fight off the disappointment dragon... At the end of the story, there are notes and discussion point with additional strategies to try. I would definitely recommend this book to parents and teachers (both special needs and mainstream) to read with their children and to implement the strategies.
Tori Houghton, Co-editor, Speech and Language Therapist
AuKids magazine, Summer 2014