13 February, 2010

The Reluctant Dragon Book Review


By Kenneth Grahame
Illustrated by E. H. Shepard

****

One night a shepherd spots a scaly creature sleeping in a cave nearby his flock. He arrives home in a panic to tell his family, at which his son replys, "It's all right, father. Don't you worry. It's only a dragon. And I'll stroll up to-morrow morning--no, in the morning I can't, I've got a whole heap of things to do--well, perhaps in the evening, if I am quite free, I'll go up and have a talk to him, and you'll find out it'll be all right." When the boy goes up to see the dragon, he finds that he is quite agreeable to get along with and even writes poetry.

But what happens when the people of the village find out about the creature living in the cave? They create horrible stories, and call for Saint George to defeat him in a fight! St. George isn't fond of killing, and the boy wants to help his friend, so together they devise a plan to please the crowds as well as stay true to who they really are.

Author The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame creates another fantastic tale of friendship and love in The Reluctant Dragon. The language is very English and intellectual, so this book is best for children of the mid-upper grades. Ideal for children who love fairy tales and stories from the middle ages. The Reluctant Dragon has such lovable characters with the most simplistic of titles, such as boy and dragon. Once you are introduced to them, you will be turning page after page to find out how they can stick together is such a tricky situation. Although it is a slim book, that certainly doesn't reflect the value of it's content.

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