Product Description

For hundreds of years, people believed dragons were real. They thought dragons lived in caves full of treasure, soared through the air on large bat wings, and breathed fire. Storytellers told tales of dragons that fought knights and kings. Now kids can learn the unnatural history of dragons and recapture their magic with this full-color chapter book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #608075 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-27
• Released on: 2004-04-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. An informational chapter book about a fantastical topic is a great way to interest fantasy fans in nonfiction, and vice versa. In a straightforward text, Penner explores various myths surrounding dragons. Beliefs from several cultures and time periods are represented. Dragons in Chinese lore are "gentle and kind;" and the legendary Aztec "dragon" Quetzalcoatl brings good luck; the "classical" fire-breathing dragons of Europe are fierce and terrifying. Carefully differentiating between reality and myth, the author intersperses bits of dragon lore (for example, a paragraph or two about Saint George, and something about Beowulf) through the text, setting them in italics. Color illustrations showing different types of dragons add interest, and a concluding discussion about "living" dragons such as the Komodo dragon and the mysterious Loch Ness monster ends with some intriguing questions: "Are dragons real? Could there be one living in a lake in Scotland? What do you think?" Diane Foote
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap
For hundreds of years, people believed dragons were real. They thought dragons lived in caves full of treasure, soared through the air on large bat wings, and breathed fire. Storytellers told tales of dragons that fought knights and kings. Now kids can learn the unnatural history of dragons and recapture their magic with this full-color chapter book.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author
Lucille Recht Penner is the author of many nonfiction books for kids, including Dinosaur Babies and Monster Bugs in Random House’s Step into Reading program. She lives in Tucson, AZ.

Customer Reviews

A Mom's Choice Awards Recipient!
The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

A beautifully illustrated picture book
The book I have in my lap at this moment is a picture book it was written by Judy Tatchell, designed by Reuben Barrance and illustrated by Peter Scott.

While it is certainly not a novel with characters and plot lines it is a fun and informative read for children under the age of 8. It has many small flaps and mini pages within pages, these may be torn by very young children so be careful. The book is a hard cover without a dust jacket - this makes it durable for it will be looked at again and again. The illustrations are just stunning - the colours and smooth lines are perfect for the 4-8 age group.

The content introduces young readers to Oriental as well as classic European dragons and highlights myths and legends surrounding them such as hoarding treasure and the tale of St George.

Well worth the price for fantasy loving littlies.

Affected me on so many levels
My goodness, what can I say about this splendid novel? For starters, you can enjoy it on so many levels and read into its moral implications in a way that hasn't been true for centuries past.

The protagist is not a "hero" in the superficial sense, nor is he an antihero, or even an antagonist. Instead, he is a real soul, trying to find the right path in life without hurting the ones he holds near his heart.

The antagonist is splendid to a point of malicious bliss: the evilness he exudes from every literary pore makes me want to exfoliate my metaphorical epidermis.

A stunning cast of multidimensional minor characters completes this stunning debut with verisimilitude that took my firy dragon breath away.

For a wonderful romp in the world of literature, tune in to this tome!