Lila and the Dragon helps teachers to start a conversation about conflict, loss, and other important topics that are often difficult to initiate in the classroom.  It’s the touching story of a young girl who is forced to flee her home after a dangerous dragon threatens to destroy Lila’s village. She brings with her a plush elephant named Bilbob, that helps Lila to deal with the uncomfortable emotions that she experiences during this tragic time.

After reading Lila and the Dragon, young readers can complete activities included in a workbook that has been designed to help children better understand and process their feelings. The story and workbook were written in response to the war in Ukraine, as there has been an immediate need to help refugee children learn ways to deal with crisis and loss. Lila and the Dragon has helped thousands of Ukrainian children since it was released in mid-April. However, the story applies to anyone who has been displaced by armed conflicts throughout the world.

It’s a story about home and family and aims to help those children who are dealing with displacement to work through their complex emotions at such a difficult time in their lives. Children may be sad, scared, or even angry. Perhaps they feel all of these emotions at the same time and don’t know how to discuss or express their feelings. Lila and the Dragon helps to start that conversation.

The story and workbook can be particularly useful in language classes to help students discuss conflict and it’s often overlooked consequences. For those who have refugee children in their classes, it can help classmates to better understand what these children and their families have been going through. Understanding such challenges can help create long-lasting empathy and connection amongst peers.

Lila and the Dragon was written by Brandon W. Wallace, a Cambridge graduate and children’s book author who writes under the name „Truest Dunkworth”. The workbook was written by the physicians at Calmsie, a Digital Therapeutics company specializing in children’s mental health. The story and workbook can be downloaded for free and listened to in English and Ukrainian at https://lilaandthedragon.com/en/index.html.

 

Lila and the Dragon

Lila was very surprised the day her father came home and told her, “we must leave.”  She didn't know what to think.  Her dad explained, "Lila, it is no longer safe here… a dragon approaches, and we must stay together and protect ourselves."

Lila had a lot of questions.  "Do dragons really exist?" she asked her father. 

"Unfortunately, they do," her father calmly replied, "and they can be quite dangerous.  We must go far away."

"But what about our house and all of my toys?" Lila asked her dad.

"We have to leave our house behind, but you can bring one toy with you," he said.

Lila didn't like the idea of leaving her home but liked picking out a toy to go with her.  She spread all of her toys out on the floor and began to decide.  In the end, she decided to take her favourite stuffed animal, a little elephant named Bilbob.

So with Bilbob in hand, Lila left her home behind.  Her mom and dad, all her brothers and sisters, and even some of her cousins went with her.  They sat on many buses and stood in lots of lines just like the many other families who were fleeing the dragon.  She heard terrible stories about the dragon and how it liked to destroy anything in its path.  Lila became frightened. 

"If the dragon flies over our house," Lila thought to herself, "our family's wonderful home will be destroyed!  We will have nothing left!"  Thinking about this made Lila sad and she began to cry.  

Lila’s mother was very busy taking care of all the children.  But when she saw that Lila was very sad her mother leaned down and kindly asked.  "Why are you crying, my dear girl?"

"I am sad that we had to leave home.  I wish we were back there and that the dragon had never come," Lila said, feeling sad, scared, and mad, all at the same time. 

Her mother took her hand and told Lila that she wished the dragon had never come either— but she was so happy that they were all safe and together.  "We have each other," her mother explained, "and that is what matters."

"Whenever you feel sad or scared or mad, I want you to grab your little elephant and squeeze him really tight…. can you do that?" her mother asked her. 

Lila smiled and did as her mother said.  It made her feel better. 

"You hug your Bilbob and think about all the good things about home.  Sunday dinners, night time stories, playing outside in the park, and all the things that make you happy.  I promise that you will still have all those things wherever we go.  Because?" her mother touched her cheek and grinned— Lila finished her sentence, "because we have each other," she said.

It was very difficult in the weeks that passed, and Lila often felt many of her strong feelings. But she remembered to do what her mother said to make her feel better.  Lila squeezed her Bilbob tight in her arms and thought about home.  She thought about ice cream parties, birthdays, singing with her brothers and sisters, and playing with her toys.  And it made her feel a little bit better. 

By the end of their journey, Lila and her family were very far away from home.  They stayed with people who they did not know, but who knew how terrible and dangerous the dragon could be.  Lila thought that the people were nice and their house was cozy, but it wasn't home.  Lila knew what was most important though— that she and her family had each other.

Finally, when much time had passed, news arrived that the dragon was gone and had fled their land.  There was much to celebrate, and Lila and her family thanked the kind family who had taken them in.  But the journey back was difficult, and Lila had to hug her Bilbob many times along the way.  Finally, they reached their homeland.  

Many things had changed, and of course, their house was not what it once was because the dragon had destroyed many things and left behind only a little bit of what Lila remembered.  However, with time, she and her family built back everything the dragon had taken from them… and Lila never forgot what being home meant to her. 

It was a place where she and her family had each other.  And when things got hard, as they sometimes did, she always had Bilbob by her side to give him a tight hug!  This is the story of how Lila and her family overcame the terrible dragon.

You can download the story at the bottom of this page