Merlin and the Dragons (Picture Puffins) [Paperback]

Jane Yolen (Author), Li Ming (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Picture Puffins

Young King Arthur, troubled by nightmares, doubts he is the rightful king of England. One rainy night, the wizard Merlin tells Arthur the story of dueling dragons and a fateful clash between good and evil, which reveals the surprising secret of the boy king's true legacy. Li Ming's arresting oil paintings breathe fire into this magical offering from Jane Yolen. "The legend comes alive on a grand scale, the dramatic narrative and well-wrought dialogue heightening the theatrical effect and inviting a fast-paced read-aloud." -- School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Merlin tells young Arthur a tale of a boy who prophesies a dragon duel. Dramatic oil paintings match the story's epic scale. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5?Drawing once again upon Arthurian legend, Yolen has created a stirring tale within a tale. Young Arthur wakes one stormy night from uneasy dreams and seeks out the company of Merlin. Sensing the boy's readiness to learn of his legacy in claiming the crown he wears without conviction, Merlin tells him of another fatherless boy, Emrys, who dreamed baffling dreams of dragons and crumbling stone towers. When the cruel Vortigern attempted to take over all of Britain, Emrys's dreams became prophetic and catalytic. Merlin ends his tale cryptically, as a certain knight advances toward Vortigern's tower. When Arthur cries out for a proper ending, Merlin draws him into the story and it becomes revelatory?at last he is able to call the crown his own. Yolen goes beyond her sources?folklore and history?and moves expertly into the realm of invention. Matched with arresting oil paintings, the legend comes alive on a grand scale, the dramatic narrative and well-wrought dialogue heightening the theatrical effect and inviting a fast-paced read-aloud. Some of Ming's illustrations are magnificent, those of the dragons in particular. One can sense this talented artist's respect for these creatures as he brings them fully to life?terrifying, violent, beautiful. So, too, does he paint Arthur with great sensitivity, a figure bathed in light, his face complex, thoughtful, and full of wonder. Although all the pictures serve the story well and elevate the drama, some seem a bit flat and overexplicit, without the pulsing life and radiance that characterizes those that are invested with emotion and are remarkable for their power.
Susan Powers, Rock Creek Forest Elementary School, Chevy Chase, MD
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140558918
• ISBN-13: 978-0140558913
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 11.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Popular Characters > Book Characters > King Arthur
  • #48 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Arthurian
  • #92 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Arthurian

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Really Good Book, June 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Merlin and the Dragons (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

(...)

Merlin and the Dragons is a very good book, because there are dragons in this book. Dragons are my favorite animals because they breathe fire, and they look cool.
There were lots of cool action scenes. My favorite action scene was when the tower falls because the dragon's eggs are rumbling.
The illustrations looked real. The illustrations helped me understand the book, because the words aren't very descriptive.
I recommend this book for 7 to 70 years old.
The theme is that some people are sometimes alike.
There were lots of conflicts. There were dragons fighting. And there were kings fighting the dragons.
These are some of the characters. There were the kings armies; they were really strong, because they killed a dragon. There were two dragons, they had red and white scales, long tales, and they breath fire. The king has a gold crown.
Now I will tell you some of the story. Once upon a time there was a boy named Arthur he did not want to be a king yet. One day he had a bad dream so he went to Merlin. Merlin told him a story about another boy, who's a king too, and he wanted to build a watchtower. And the king's workers finished building it and the next day it fell down, then the king's workers built it again and again but it still fell.
Later the king's workers dug under the rocks and they found two dragon's eggs, then the king's workers smashed the eggs and the eggs hatched into fierce dragons.
If you want to know the end read the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Arthur Learned About his Father, April 4, 2009

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Merlin and the Dragons (Hardcover)

The King Arthur legend is a treasure trove of children's stories. The worst way to approach the legend is to try to tell the whole story in one book. The legend is just too rich with detail for this approach to work. It is better to select individual stories and rework them for children.

This is the approach Jane Yolen uses in "Merlin and the Dragon". The story takes place soon after Arthur has pulled the sword out of the stone and centers on how Merlin revealed to Arthur that he is the son of Uther Pendragon. The book is well written and beautifully illustrated and is a pleasure for both adults and children. Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, June 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Merlin and the Dragons (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

It is about a boy named Emrys. He lives in a small village. One day a cruel and ruthless king named Vortigern wanted to build a watchtower in the village. He told the men to work as slaves to build the tower. When they had finished building the tower it fell! So they built it again and it fell again. What they needed was Emrys's blood. When the guards had found the right child Emrys told them that you needed to kill two dragons. They dug a hole where the dragons lived.
I don't want to tell you what happens next. You'll have to read the fantastic book Merlin and the Dragons. What I liked about the book is that it had a lot of verbs, adjectives, and nouns. What I liked about the illustrations was that they had a lot of detail. I liked the characters because they were greatly drawn and they were very cool. It was a great book and I really enjoyed it. I would compare this book to MERLIN. What ages I would recommend are 6 and up it is also a great read aloud book. The moral of the book is even if you are different you can make a change.