28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Magical World Of Edith Nesbit Stands The Test Of Time...Fabulous Fun For Kids, June 5, 2006
This review refers to the 1987 Watermill Classic edition of "The Book Of Dragons" by E. Nesbit...
A young King, lets loose a Dragon from a storybook, and he must figure a way to get it back, before the dragon eats the entire town!A kind young man explores a cave and comes across a Cockatrice, a big yellow dragon and it's baby, a Drakling. A princess waits years in a tower to be rescued by her true love. Edith Nesbit has written a collection of fabulous and adventurous tales of brave and daring young heroes facing up to the big bad dragon and saving the day.She gives fun names, teriffic descriptions and adventures kids will love.They are short stories that have stood the test of time over 100 years later.
There are tales of upside lands where elephants are the size of guinea pigs, and rabbits are as big as dinosaurs,where fantastic animals come alive right from the pages of books, of magical lands, young Kings and princesses, and of inquisitive, and sometimes mischievous children who travel far and wide to face their fears.
There are 8 short stories in all, and they include, "The Book of Beasts","Uncle James, or the Purple Stranger", "The Deliverers of Their Country","The Ice Dragon, or Do as You are Told", "The Island Of the Nine Whirlpools", "The Dragon Tamers","The Fiery Dragon, or the Heart of Stone and the Heart of Gold", "Kind Little Edmund, or the Caves and the Cockatrice".
I feel these stories and the reading level, are geared towards a little bit older child, maybe 8-12, as some of the stories are quite fantastic and may be even be a little scary for the young child. I think these stories would be great to read aloud together, and passed down from generation to generation. My only reason for going 4 stars for this 1987 Watermill Classic edition, is that although it is Complete and Unabridged, it does not include the illustrations that the editor's review talks about. They are probably referring the the re-issues of 1992 and 1997 by Troll Communications, which are both sold here.. So you may want to check with the outside sellers to see if the illustrations are included in the edition they are selling.
These are magical stories that would be enjoyed by a boy or girl, and with 8 separate stories, may be more motivational and enjoyable for those that aren't too keen on reading.
Enter the fantastic world of Edith Nesbit with your kids and enjoy.....Laurie
young readers may also enjoy:
The Big Book of Dinosaurs: A Natural History of the Prehistoric World
GHOSTBUSTERS II (Yearling)
Side By Side: poems to read together(very young readers or read together)
Frankenstein (Great Illustrated Classics)
see my reviews for details of these books
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
NOT illustrated, October 23, 2010
Be warned that the $5.99 paperback edition with the purple and black moonlit dragon cover is NOT illustrated, despite the Amazon description. Since the enchanting illustrations are a major reason I loved this book as a child this was extremely disappointing and I'm now going to have to find an illustrated edition. Otherwise the book is fine and the cover picture is quite attractive.
Amazon should have separate webpages for various editions when they differ in important respects. I feel this was misleading advertising, but returning the book would cost more in postage than it's worth.
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32 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic, like all of Nesbit's children's books., March 23, 2000
E. Nesbit's books have a well-deserved place on my shelf next to C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles, and more recently, Harry Potter. I discovered her books through those of Edward Eager; if you have read and enjoyed any of E. Nesbit's books before, I recommend you take the opposite journey and check out Eager's books now (start with Half Magic.) A real treat.
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