Fire and Wings: Dragon Tales from East and West [Hardcover]

Marianne Carus (Editor), Nilesh Mistry (Illustrator), Jane Yolen (Introduction)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Newbery Award winner Jane Yolen’s enchanting preface “Dragons: An Unnatural History” introduces this collection of 15 dragon stories from England, Western and Eastern Europe, Korea, Japan, and China. Ferocious fire-breathing dragons face off with clever princesses and courageous village girls in a riddle match. But the last dragon in the world is a kind, gentle beast who sheds tears of joy when a princess calls him “dragon dear.” Ferocious or kind, wise or wicked, these mythical creatures transport readers to the far corners of the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With a foreword by Jane Yolen, Fire and Wings: Dragon Tales from East and West, ed. by Marianne Carus, illus. by Nilesh Mistry, brings together 15 serpent stories set in, among other places, England's Nottingham Forest, the waters surrounding Korea and a seaside village in Japan. Contributors include Patricia MacLachlan, Eric A. Kimmel and E. Nesbit; most of the stories were previously published, the majority of them in Cricket magazine.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Fifteen stories about the ever-popular legendary creatures, many written by well-known and prolific authors such as Jane Yolen and Patricia MacLachlan. Readers will find many traditional folkloric themes involving loyalty, tests, and riddles. They'll also find some strong female characters, like the title character in Joan Hiatt Harlow's "Si-Ling and the Dragon," who overcomes the elders' view that girls aren't fit to rule a kingdom. A few stories are comic, like Teresa Bateman's short tale about waiting for a white knight-but is it really a princess who's waiting? And to do what? All of the stories were first published in Cricket, with the exception of E. Nesbit's delightful "The Last of the Dragons," which is the oldest (and freshest) of the bunch. A few of the selections are based on folktales, and Hildi Kang's retelling of "The Black Dragon Princess" seems to be based on historical fact, but there are no source notes. Overall, the writing is smooth and the black-and-white illustrations are skillfully done, with especially graceful line work. However, libraries that already own Michael Hague's distinctive The Book of Dragons (Morrow, 1995) might consider this a worthwhile but not essential purchase.
Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Cricket Books; 1 edition (September 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812626648
• ISBN-13: 978-0812626643
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fire and Wings Dragon tales from the east and west, October 31, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Fire and Wings: Dragon Tales from East and West (Hardcover)

i love this book! it's deninayly a good reader for teens and perteens who love Dragons! my favirte two storys in it are 'The Dragon At The Well' and 'Black Dragon Princess' those are just my favs. there a lot more to choose from. but if you like dragon stories this book is for you.