Fire and Wings: Dragon Tales from East and West

by Marianne Carus (Editor), Nilesh Mistry (Illustrator), Jane Yolen (Introduction)

Newbery Award winner Jane Yolen’s enchanting preface “Dragons: An Unnatural History” introduces this collection of 15 dragon stories from England, Western and Eastern Europe, Korea, Japan, and China. Ferocious fire-breathing dragons face off with clever princesses and courageous village girls in a riddle match. But the last dragon in the world is a kind, gentle beast who sheds tears of joy when a princess calls him “dragon dear.” Ferocious or kind, wise or wicked, these mythical creatures transport readers to the far corners of the world.

Genres: Dragons, Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2002

Reviews

[Ehryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short fiction stories with one theme: dragons! Out of the 15 stories in this book, half of them were hit or missed. Some I loved, like “Dragon’s Coo” by Patricia MacLachlan, about a dragon who wants a family; and “The Dragon at the Well” by Teresa Bateman which has curses and dragons and princesses.

One thing I’d critique is that these were mostly “West” stories and the “East” stories weren’t very diverse. That might just be me, though.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice anthology of dragon stories just about the right length for bed-time for a little dragon-obsessed girl. The stories themselves can a be a little hit-or-miss as different authors turn in better or worse performances, but still a worthy read.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read a few of these out loud to my daughter, and they were great!

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was an amazing book.

[Coney Zealley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! There were some amazing stories in here. there were a few that were okay, but I'm buying this for the kids bookshelf. Great bedtime stories!