Ninety-Nine Dragons

by Barbara Sleigh

'I think sheep are soppy', said Ben scornfully.

Beth and Ben's father suggested counting sheep jumping over a gate, to help them go to sleep. But Ben thought dragons would be much more interesting than ordinary old sheep, so he sent them jumping over the gate instead! What he hadn't intended, though, was for his ninety-nine greedy green dragons to jump into the same field as Beth's fifty sweet little sheep!

Genres: Dragons, Fantasy, Childrens

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh (1906-1982) was an English children's writer and broadcaster. She worked for the BBC Children's Hour and is the author of Carbonel and two sequels: The Kingdom of Carbonel and Carbonel and Calidor.

Reviews

[Dorian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite books as a child, and it stands up quite well to adult rereading. The world-building is still nearly as clever as I thought it was when I was eight, and while Ben and Beth are somewhat cardboardy characters, the various dragons and sheep have definite personalities. Ninety-Nine, especially, is rather charming.

[Kamilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still remember this book clearly, even though over 15 years have passed. Back then this book was one of my favorites, and I am looking forward to reading it again - hopefully to discover that even though I am no longer a child, this book can still take away.

[Capn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dated now ("I say!", begins at least two statements), and I personally didn't like either the drawings or descriptions of the dragons ("as green as parsley on top, and as yellow as scrambled eggs on the bottom"). Also, I spent much of the time thinking of the solution to Ben and Beth's predicament as the one in Loom, which is a computer game that is also tough to revisit due to the passage of time...
Hard to recommend this widely, nowadays. I think it really would only appeal to those revisiting it, or lovers of vintage children's lit.
(And here's where I'll insert a plug for Forgotten Children's Lit We Want Republished!, once I'm off the app. Ninety-Nine Dragons won't be making the top of my list, but I had better add A Circlet of Oak Leaves by Rosemary Sutcliff to mine because wow, was that good! Come join for discussions, recommendations, etc. You are most welcome!) https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Webcowgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started in the ER, finished mostly better. Good read about book, very interesting premise, and dragons. :-)