Sleeping Dragons All Around — Sheree Fitch

In Sleeping Dragons All Around, a girl wakes up in the middle of the night and wants some cake. But to reach the refrigerator, she has to tiptoe past a host of sleeping dragons, like Priscilla in her pink pantaloons, the punk-rock dragon Fagan with his spiky green hair, and Beelzebub (who sleeps in the tub).

When she stubs her toe, the dragons wake up, and she has to think fast to befriend them. Fitch's celebrated lipslippery poetry and Michele Nidenoff's colorful illustrations combine to make this one of the most delightful children's books ever published in Canada.