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39th out of 573 books
—
214 voters
The Reluctant Dragon
The classic story of a boy who made friends with a peace-loving dragon.
Hardcover, 57 pages
Published
December 12th 1988
by Holiday House
(first published 1898)
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What a clever twist on a dragon tale. The shepherd boy is such a great reader of fairy tales that he takes the advent of a dragon to his hometown quite in stride. The only problem is that, although the dragon is thoroughly tame, the townspeople love a good fight and absolutely insist that a dragon-slayer be sent for. Thankfully, the man in question, none other than St. George himself, knows how people sometimes exaggerate, and doesn't care too much for killing. The solution is agreed upon by the...more
There once was a shepherd boy who read a lot and thus knew much about fairies, witches, and dragons. So, when a dragon moves into the hill by his family's farm, he goes to talk to the dragon. Turns out that the dragon is actually very nice, and has no inclination to cause anyone any harm at all. He really would just like to write and recite his poetry.
But, the townspeople are afraid and, even though the dragon hasn't harmed anyone, they want to get rid of him. Will the boy be able to keep the dr...more
But, the townspeople are afraid and, even though the dragon hasn't harmed anyone, they want to get rid of him. Will the boy be able to keep the dr...more
1. Picture book/Short Novel: Traditional/Fantasy.
2. This story of a boy and a special dragon that has a unique relationship with the boy. The boy earns the trust and friendship of the dragon. The boy soon discovers that a St. Georges will be coming to defeat the dragon, but he soon arranges a meeting between the dragon and the Saint so that a "fight" can be arranged.
3. Critique:
A. Uniqueness of the plot
B. Besides the traditional story of the knight that defeats a dragon, this story does an excel...more
2. This story of a boy and a special dragon that has a unique relationship with the boy. The boy earns the trust and friendship of the dragon. The boy soon discovers that a St. Georges will be coming to defeat the dragon, but he soon arranges a meeting between the dragon and the Saint so that a "fight" can be arranged.
3. Critique:
A. Uniqueness of the plot
B. Besides the traditional story of the knight that defeats a dragon, this story does an excel...more
Jun 27, 2010
Shanna Gonzalez
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-08-12
The Reluctant Dragon is a mild-mannered specimen of his breed who, unlike the "active and earnest" fellows who used to charge around battling knights, has survived long enough to develop his passion for poetry. He is befriended by an intelligent young shepherd boy, who is placed in an awkward position when the villagers discover the dragon's presence. Although the dragon has harmed no one, the villagers are so aroused that they call on Saint George to battle this "pestilential scourge." When Sai...more
This is not a children's book. The purple prose is annoying for me to read; it has to be worse for a child. It is far too flowery, not straightforward enough. The Boy is not very likeable. One, he never gets a name. Two, he acts like everyone else is so stupid and rude. He complains that the villagers lie and like to watch fights too much, but he begs the dragon and St George to fight. Three, he complains he has to do so much, when he really does almost nothing, and only cries when he is tired.
A...more
A...more
If there's anything I like more than fairy tales it's fairy tale spoofs. And this is one of the originals - a charming tongue-in-cheek story about an erudite, sensitive dragon who wants nothing to do with terrorizing villages. He soon finds a kindred spirit in a local boy. I love how Grahame portrays their friendship with humor and honesty. The dragon can be a little touchy and the boy is often exasperated by the dragon's dreamy outlook, but they still have a deep respect for one another. We eve...more
5 likes · like · see review
Kenneth Grahame is, of course, much better known for the Wind in the Willows. This book is an almost unknown gem by comparison. Kids and adults love dragons, and this one is drawn with such humour and wit that he is totally adorable. As a child I could never get enough of this book, and my daughter and her children are the same. The language will stretch a younger child but it is refreshing to have a child's book that does not 'dumb down' the writing. The illustrations are a delight and it is a...more
A lovely meandering tail, this story is meant to amuse. The dragon is a wonderful character, and St. George is reassuringly heroic. The boy is a bit of a petulant boy,but as Grahame wrote his tales for his son, that's no suprise.
The conversations between the dragon and the boy shine here, and while there's some larger and little used vocabulary in this book, my 7 year old managed to correctly infer the meaning of most of the narrative with no help from me.
This version, with the old illustration...more
The conversations between the dragon and the boy shine here, and while there's some larger and little used vocabulary in this book, my 7 year old managed to correctly infer the meaning of most of the narrative with no help from me.
This version, with the old illustration...more
A boy discovers a very personable dragon living in a cave near his farm. The dragon likes nothing better than to sit in the sunshine meditating and composing poetry, and the boy enjoys his company. Trouble arrives however when the nearby village learns of his presence. Assuming the dragon will have a violent nature, the villagers call in St. George to do him in. The boy warns the dragon, who insists he will not fight. The boy then visits St. George, who turns out to be a sympathetic person. Neit...more
I love this story. I borrowed this from our school library months ago, and the story's really awesome. A week ago, I heard the librarian report to the Lost and Found station that the book was being borrowed and was not yet returned for the re-inventory. And then one of my friends joked, "I know where the reluctant dragon is! It's in its cave!" We all laughed. Thank goodness it was returned by a student.
In movies, dragons are the "please-don't-eat-me" type of mangy beasts. But in this story, the...more
In movies, dragons are the "please-don't-eat-me" type of mangy beasts. But in this story, the...more
This book was adorable. Favorite line: "They knew that book-learning often came in useful at a pinch, in spite of what their neighbours said". Too true!
I also like that the boy in the book is treated by his elders as someone worth listening to. Children's feeling and thoughts should be taken into account by adults and I think it was a good theme that the boy might have a unique perspective into certain matters, so the adults took the time to listen.
I also like that the boy in the book is treated by his elders as someone worth listening to. Children's feeling and thoughts should be taken into account by adults and I think it was a good theme that the boy might have a unique perspective into certain matters, so the adults took the time to listen.
Pidin kovasti kerrontatyylistä, lapsikertojat todella tuntuivat lapsilta, eivät lasta teeskenteleviltä aikuisilta. Nimikertomuksen (Suomenkielisessä "Vastahakoinen lohikäärme") lisäksi suosikkini oli ehdottomasti "Muurit kuin korukiveä", joka kuvasi loistavasti mielikuvituksen kouriintuntuvaa todellisuutta. Silti myönnän, että minulle tarinat olivat joskus myös hieman pitkäveteisiä ja usein ärsyttävän sukupuoliroolittuneita.
I read this book to my rising fourth grader, as it is required reading at her classical, Christian school. I never would have known about this otherwise. The language was written in an old, classical style. I ended up reading to her and it turned out to be quite enjoyable. We took pauses every 4-5 paragraphs so that she could recap what she'd heard and make sense of the language. In the end, it is a cute tale!
Grahame is, of course, the Wind in the Willows author. This longer fairy tale of his is more a riff on the traditional bad-dragon fairy tale. I like Grahame's style: sort of a tripping/skipping along--almost singing. Included in lots of anthologies (such as The Victorian Fairy Tale Book)
I would assume that Tony DiTerlizzi was simply paying homage to Kenneth Grahame by naming his book, "Kenneth and the Dragon"--seeing as it is simply a retelling of this story.
Regardless of a modern author retelling the tale, this is a charming little story. Not much to it, but it's the kind of book I could see myself reading a some future offspring. That in and of itself made this worth the read.
Regardless of a modern author retelling the tale, this is a charming little story. Not much to it, but it's the kind of book I could see myself reading a some future offspring. That in and of itself made this worth the read.
This wonderful classic story of a passive and friendly dragon who is forced to stage a battle with the gallant Sir George to appease the complacent townsfolk is a story for all ages. This version features colorful and beautiful illustrations by Inga Moore. The original was published in 1898 in chapter book format, making this picture book an abridged tale perfect for nighttime must read.
I thought this book was very charming. Bea was interested while we were reading and chuckled along appropriately - but afterwards said she didn't really get it. She hasn't had a childhood rich in dragon/knight/fairytale stuff so maybe that's it? She was also really stymied by the "need" for a fight. Neither the story nor I could make it clear for her. That's a good thing overall, I guess!
A fun fairy tale spoof about a dragon who far prefers poetry and the arts to fighting and rampaging. When Sir George is called in because, well, there's a DRAGON so it of course must be killed, the boy who has befriended the dragon is called upon to try to meditate, with a rather humorous result. Fun, but not fabulous - thus 3 stars.
This book left me very ho-hum. I finished it, but I felt while reading it that there wasn't much conflict. The POV character is a young boy who doesn't have anything to do with the fight between the knight and the dragon, and only acts as an intermediary between the two. Most of the story felt told to me, rather than shown.
May 22, 2012
Sally
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks,
read-aloud
This was a quick listen on audiobook. I found it available for download at my local library, and thought I'd check it out. It is a cute story, but feels more like a synopsis rather than a fully developed story. Kids would probably enjoy it, but I did not get near the pleasure out of it that I have with multiple readings of Wind in the Willows. I think an animated movie was made of it, so the story may already be familiar to many.
This is a darling book. It's longer (we read it on a read-a-thon day) but the story is creative and funny and plus it's a great vocabulary builder. I would look for an edition with as many illustrations as possible--especially with a BLUE dragon--he's described in detail in the book, and he's BLUE!!! :)
Learning about "Friends and Mentors"
I probably wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for the reference in "Tending the Heart of Virtue." The story was fine. It wasn't terribly inspiring, but it was a little entertaining. Once we finished reading I wanted to remember which section of "Tending the Heart..." it was in. Turns out that it's in the section about friends and mentors (He mentions that this is the most lovable dragon in children't literature. Instead, I pick the dragon from "My Fath...more
I probably wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for the reference in "Tending the Heart of Virtue." The story was fine. It wasn't terribly inspiring, but it was a little entertaining. Once we finished reading I wanted to remember which section of "Tending the Heart..." it was in. Turns out that it's in the section about friends and mentors (He mentions that this is the most lovable dragon in children't literature. Instead, I pick the dragon from "My Fath...more
Cute story with nice language and a simple concept. The dragon is very cordial, as is the boy. The villagers sound like abusive brutes, but the boy, the dragon, and St. George find a way to trick them into accepting the dragon into their community.
Xavier brought this book home from the Acton School library. I have read it over the last couple of nights. I know that my teacher friends would like this as a read-aloud lots of interesting words in this book. I also liked the illustrations as well.
OMG, loved this. my six year old and i were reading for a library list and this story, oh this story is so witty and hilarious. i laughed many times. we are starting wind and the willows now. tickle a funny bone long forgotten, read this one.
Adorable short story about a boy who finds a sweet-tempered dragon who is met, understandably, with prejudice by the surrounding villagers who relish witnessing a real dragon fight. This little story is free on the goodreads app.
The Reluctant Dragon is a delight of language and plot. The pacifist and poetical dragon, the wise and well-read boy, and the compassionate St. George come together in a small story that I love to read and hear aloud.
This is awesome! I listened to it thanks to librivox.org and was totally surprised by the coolness of the story. St. George, the dragon, and the boy make this story work in ways that I can't adequately explain here.
This was a great short story. I enjoyed the cleverness of the boy, the dragon, and the knight. It's not a typical dragon bed night story. I also enjoy children's stories that are written and eloquently spoken. Kenneth Graham is masking a BIG fan out if me.
A cute story that could be a parody of the usual dragon and knight plots. My kids really liked this and wanted to rate it a 5 (although I may have chosen a 3! LOL). It's written for children, so I let them give it the rating. ;)
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“You see all the other fellows were so active and earnest and all that sort of thing- always rampaging, and skirmishing, and scouring the desert sands, and pacing the margin of the sea, and chasing knights all over the place, and devouring damsels, and going on generally- whereas I liked to get my meals regular and then to prop my back against a bit of rock and snooze a bit, and wake up and think of things going on and how they kept going on just the same, you know!”
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1 person liked it
“No, I can't stop for sonnets; my mother is sitting up. I'll look you up tomorrow, sometime or other, and do for goodness' sake try and realise that you're a pestilential scourge, or your find yourself in a most awful fix. Good-night!”
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Sep 28, 2012 03:35am