The Reluctant Dragon: 75th Anniversary Edition (edició 2013)

Lovely little fable. Dated, of course, and more applicable to Grahame's time. But the illustrations (from Winnie-the-pooh's Shepherd) were delightful. And I loved it anyway. ( )

I had never read this short story before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Stories from so long ago don't always hold up, especially in terms of vocabulary that a kid can grasp. No such worries here, while there were a couple words that were unusual, they didn't get in the way of my kid's comprehension. There's a frame story that was cute, rather than a waste of time as they generally are, which I appreciated. The actual story, after it gets going, pokes fun at the whole idea of knights slaying dragons in a way that was funny to me, and it entertained my 5 year old immensely. ( )

Whimsical story of a dragon who isn't interested in fighting, even when the infamous St George arrives to remove "the scourge". Adults will appreciate the subtle humor. ( )

Why did I read it? I had read The Wind in the Willows when I was a child, and only recently discovered that Kenneth Grahame had authored other books, about which I was unaware. This story sounded interesting.

What's it about? Two children are following footprints in the snow, when a neighbour calls them in for warming tea, and begins to tell them the story of the friendship between a boy, and a dragon living in a cave up on the Downs.

What did I like about it? It's a very nice, old fashioned story for children. Very English.

The audio was clear, without any errors.

What didn't I like? I think I may have chosen an awful audio version to which to listen. It was a full cast production, but with American actors, and, honestly, it spoilt all the fun of the story. I think if it had been a cast with English accents, it might have been better.

Would I recommend it? Oh yes, but not this particular edition. A great bedtime story I imagine. ( )

Of course, I had 'The Wind in the Willows' as a child. I truly wish I'd had this story as well. It's less well known - but I'm not sure why.

This is a truly wonderful story-within-a-story: two children, fancying that the snow tracks they've followed from their yard are those of a dragon, encounter a kindly neighbor, who tells them a story - of course, about a boy who meets a literarily-inclined, and unusually good-tempered dragon.

Whimsical, warm and clever. ( )