The Reluctant Dragon - Hardcover

San Souci, Robert D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0439455812 ISBN 13: 9780439455817

Publisher: Orchard, 2004

Synopsis

San Souci and Segal pair up in this clever, funny retelling of Kenneth Grahame's THE RELUCTANT DRAGON which includes miniature illustrations throughout.

When Jack's father discovers a fire-breathing dragon living close to home, Jack tells everyone not to worry -- he has read a lot about dragons. The next day, Jack meets him and learns that he is poet who would rather write than fight knights and breathe fire. Soon Jack and the dragon are sharing poetry and singing songs, but Jack can't keep him a secret for long. One day, Saint George rides into town to slay the beast, but the dragon refuses to take part in something so uncivilized. So with the help of Jack, they agree to stage a mock battle which turns out to be a hit.

About this title

About the Author:

Kenneth Grahame was born in 1859. From the age of five, he lived with his grandmother in Cookham Dean, Berkshire, where he spent a lot of time on the banks of the River Thames. It was here that he wrote The Reluctant Dragon, which was first published in Dream Days in 1898, ten years before the publication of his most famous work, The Wind in the Willows.

Ernest Howard Shepard (December 10, 1879 – March 24, 1976) was an English artist and book illustrator. He was known especially for his human-like animals in illustrations for The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-5-This now-classic tale was originally published in 1898 as part of Kenneth Grahame's semiautobiographical short story collection, "Dream Days." A shepherd discovers a dragon living in a cave. His son knows from his reading of natural history and fairy tales that some dragons are reasonable and nonthreatening. He approaches the creature, who proves to be a gentle, noncombative sort. The villagers, however, see him as a menace, and St. George is sent for. The boy is able to convince him that this is a good dragon, and the three devise a plan that will give everyone a fine show and allow the dragon to stay on in the village, writing poetry and singing. San Souci's abridgment has the usual gains and losses of such a process. Much of Grahame's wit and unique style have gone by the wayside, but the text is more accessible to a modern audience. The message of compassion, loyalty, and friendship still shines through. Segal's pastel illustrations, frequently set in miniature boxes in a vertical line, sometimes ignore descriptions as provided by the text. The dragon has "blue scales on top and green below." Segal's dragon is green on top, yellow below and without a scale to be seen. The pictures are captioned with an odd mix of print and script that will be difficult for children to decipher. Libraries owning the original text with illustrations by either Ernest H. Shepard or Michael Hague may consider this version an additional purchase.
Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
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About this edition

• Publisher: Orchard
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0439455812
• ISBN 13: 9780439455817
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Segal John