Here There Be Dragons

Here There Be...

by Jane Yolen, David Wilgus (Illustrator)

Young readers encounter dragons of every conceivable form, from horrifying to harmless, in an illustrated anthology of inventive stories and poems about these fascinating mythical beasts.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Young Adult, Short Stories, Poetry, Anthologies, Childrens

149 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Relyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think fairytales are what Jane Yolen does best.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite frankly, the cover is the best thing about this anthology of poems and short stories featuring our favorite fire-breathing beasties, all by Jane Yolen. Remarkably unspectacular yawner, except for ""Story" The Old Man Said," (which is the shortest selection offered.) Next best was "Cockfight", which was the original short story that inspired the Dragon Pit series.



The artist who did such a fantastic cover unfortunately did not read the text (or just skimmed it) when doing his/her/its work. For example, one story clearly refers to the protagonist being Oriental. The illustration shows a European kid. WTH?



Think I might avoid Jane Yolen from now on.

EDIT 2025: I didn't.

Selections:

* Why Dragons?
* Great-grandfather's Dragon Tale
* "Story", the Old Man Said
* Cockfight
* Dragon Night
* Dragonfield
* The King's Dragon
* Into the Wood
* The Dragon's Boy
* The Making of Dragons
* One Ox, Two Ox, Three Ox, and the Dragon King
* Here There Be Dragons

[K Gover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirteen different stories with dragons as the main character, all with a unique twist. I especially enjoyed reading the process Jane Yolen went through to write each piece. She explains her inspirations and where she got (borrowed/stole) her ideas from. This would serve as a great example for student writers.

I would say all except for the Cockfight story they are appropriate. (The consistent mention of smoking weed felt a bit inappropriate to me. However, the character Jakkin and his masters challenge were great ideas. )

One Ox, Two Ox, Three Ox reminded me of the Three Little Pigs!

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. I enjoyed Great-Grandfather Dragon’s Tale, and Cockfight. I could have done without the rest (although I generally don’t enjoy short story format or poetry). But I am looking forward to the series Cockfight inspired.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed this collection of stories. I prefer dragons that are friendly to men, rather than those that are vicious man-eaters. There were some of each in this collection.

[Korin Metz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for reading to kids, or delighting the kid in yourself with revisiting the thrill of Dragon lore

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read and loved this breathlessly as a kid; reading it now, welp, it hasn’t aged well

[Rebecca Martell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read-aloud book. Best for upper-elementary and middle school. A mix of short stories and poems. Nice for dragon fans.

[Chance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am on the part when Jakkin's dragon Red has to fight in a competition against Bottle O' Rum. Jakkin's dragon gets hurt. I think Jakkin's dragon will win because, the dragon has a specail power and has a specail attack. Jakkin taught the dragon how to use the attack and control it in the hidden sands. I like this book sofar because, it has magic, dragons, adventure, and battles.


Jakkin's dragon won the match against Bottle O' Rum by using a specail attack: volcanoe alley then he used a spell called pearia. I really really really like this book because for the same reasons and it is exiting.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm loving this book of magical poetry & short stories about dragons. Jane Yolen is a wonderful author - I've read several of her books.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of dragon-focused poems & stories. Lots of different ways of looking at dragons in here and they were all intriguing

[Hazel]

A possible introduction to Yolen's dragon series...

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent anthology with great selection of stories and poems

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great anthology of Jane Yolen's long and short stories and poetry on dragons.

[June Pecchia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want a fantasy escape, with wonderful messages and folklore woven in? Jane Yolen has masterfully told several tales to spellbind. Read them aloud to a friend. Imagine...

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

collection of her poems and stories that gives the background and reasoning for the stories, very beautifully done with pictures and explainations

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of poems and short stories about dragons with the inspiration behind them included. Some would make good read alouds during a fantasy unit.

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. It's not what I expected. It's well-written just not my favorite style.