The Book of Dragons

I liked all the different stories. There were some stories from books that I had read before like one about Smog the dragon from The Hobbit. There were also some pretty funny dragon stories. Overall there was a nice mix of dragon stories. I highly recommend this book to kids from about age 8 and up.

My boys love this book, which we got for them for Christmas. Some stories are too hard for them (they're six and four), but even the younger one loves looking at the pictures. "Why's this dragon happy? Because he like to eat some people?" "Look at this funny dancing dragon!" "Daddy, this dwagon's cwying. Why?" My older son can read some of the stories, a bit. . . But it might take a few more years to grow into all of them. I enjoy them maybe just as much. The authors are all first rate, and each story seems better than the last, and than the one after it, if that makes sense. All in all, this book is a great idea, well-executed. I should add that I myself am a dragon, and find that the book's square, flat shape makes it a good fire-stop.

This book is perfect for any young person, or person young at heart, who loves dragons. It features many of the marvelous illustrations by that master of fantasy, Michael Hague, accompanying 17 classic tales of dragons and their prey. The tales range in place setting from China to England, Scandinavia to Narnia. The dragons themselves range from fearsome to foolish, rage-filled to reluctant, and everything in-between. If you or your child love dragons and their stories, don't hesitate to buy this book!

Scaly and sinuous, winged and wise, dragons have soared into the imaginations of all who have believed in more than what is within reach. Their flame-licked lips form a blazing phrase, heating human hearts into the drum of fear or the beat of awe. Rarely seen, though ever present on the tongues of our storytellers and the brushes of our artists, dragons wind a serpent's bind around dreamer's dreams everywhere. And so, it is with great pleasure that I recommend The Book of Dragons by Michael Hague; there is much here to read, to see, and to dream upon. Dragons are famed for their great hoards of treasure, stacked high into the cave walls of their lairs. This tome is a treasure trove of tales and paintings, enough to satisfy the greediest of appetites. All of the finest baubles of dragon lore are stored within: sparkling gems such as the paranoid crimson wyrm Smaug from "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien, the golden arm-band wearing boy-turned-dragon Eustace from "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" by C.S. Lewis, and the sapphire-blue creature of "The Reluctant Dragon" by Kenneth Graham. Magnificent jewels which may be unfamiliar to you are also waiting to be newly discovered within this wealth. Those of you who are disturbed by the maleficent and evil image most often attributed to dragons will not be turned off by this book, as dragons of all possible shapes, colors, personalities, and lands of origin are gracefully presented and contrasted herein. Hague has taken care not show bias towards any opinion of dragons--reading both versions of the St. George and the Dragon legend side-by-side will surprise you. See the beast in a new light, not merely as a vicious monster, but as a peaceful poet, as well. Equally heartening are the many illustrations created by Hague especially for this book--you will not go away from this adventure unsatisfied. The images throughout "The Book of Dragons" illustrate the immediacy and inspiration of the unspoken story, fanning the burning glory of these tales' hearth songs. Gather ye all 'round this one.