Written by A.R. Capetta, Illustrated by Charlene Chua
Hocus and Pocus are two puppies that like to take a walk to deliver potions. Pocus is a bit more timid and nervous. When they meet the pet next door, a dragon, Hocus gets excited and Pocus gets scared. Pocus has to work through his fear to find out that the dragon is not scary, but she is also scared. The puppies have to figure out how to help. I did not totally love this story. I got confused about which dog was which a couple of times, since their names were so similar and the storyline was not clear. I didn’t really get into the story line as it felted forced in a couple of places. The illustrations were bright and whimsical, though, which really helped the story along. There is a part with an introduction to pronouns and one of the characters is a they/them person, which some people might be concerned about.
Reviewed by Heather B Arauzo, Librarian, Granger Elementary
Review shared in January 2026
Rating: ★★½✩✩ (2.5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 2-3
Hocus and Pocus and the Dragon next door
Written by A.R. Capetta, Illustrated by Charlene Chua
Candlewick Press
81 pages
Release Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 978-1-53622-493-1
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
