The Reluctant Dragon (PlainTales Classics)

The Reluctant Dragon (PlainTales Classics)
by Kenneth Grahame

The Reluctant Dragon (PlainTales Classics)
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Book Summary Information

Author: Kenneth Grahame
Reader: Steven McLaughlin
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Audiobook, CD
Published: 2009-01-01
ISBN: 0981903223
Publisher: PlainTales, Inc.

Book Reviews of The Reluctant Dragon (PlainTales Classics)

Book Review: Classic dragon tale!
Summary: 5 Stars

The Reluctant Dragon (PlainTales Classics)
The Reluctant Dragon is a charming story about friendship and about finding peaceful solutions to our problems. One evening, a shepherd comes home and tells his family that a dragon has taken up residence in a cave near their home. Fortunately, the shepherd's son is a thoughtful boy who likes to read, and the shepherd and his wife decide to let their son investigate and decide what to do. When the boy discovers that the dragon is quite well-mannered and not interested in bothering anyone, the two become friends. All goes well until the nearby villagers decide that a dragon can only mean trouble and call in no less than the famous St. George to deal with him. Now it's up to the boy's to be resourceful and clever enough to work things out without anyone getting killed.

This isn't your ordinary fairy tale, which becomes apparent very early in the story when we learn how the boy's parents, especially his father, are quite willing to let him have interests in books and other academic knowledge rather than forcing him to learn a trade. They consider it a very sensible division of labor, since the boy can handle any affairs requiring such things and they won't have to bother with all that reading and such. This turns out to be a very sensible approach indeed with the arrival of the dragon, and an attitude that more fathers should consider adopting about their "changeling" sons. The boy's relationships with the dragon and with St. George, who are simultaneously his mentors and his pupils, mirror the best relationships that a boy can have with older male relatives in which both parties can learn and grow. The Reluctant Dragon is part of the Plain Tales Classics series of audio books and has excellent production values for children. The text is read slowly and clearly, without any extraneous sound effects or music that could distract from the audibility of the words themselves. Children will enjoy imagining themselves as the inventive little boy who has to solve problems for the grownups, and will learn a little about peacemaking and good relationships as well.

Summary of The Reluctant Dragon (PlainTales Classics)

From the author of The Wind in the Willows comes this story of a boy who befriends a lazy, but quite pleasant, dragon that takes up residence nearby. When the townspeople call in St. George, the eminent dragon-slayer, to do battle, it is up to the boy to sort things out and stick up for his newfound friend. It is a hilarious story that will have you cheering for the dragon and his pal. "The Reluctant Dragon" was made into a Walt Disney film in 1941; it has also seen life as a children's operetta. Listen carefully to the language of the literature-loving dragon; he seems rather more intelligent than the townspeople intent on skewering him.

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