The Book of Dragons

It is hard to pick a favorite story from this collection. They are quite charming. Aimed squarely at the Edwardian child these unique tales capture the imagination and are filled with fun asides for the attentive adult. Somewhat reminiscent of George MacDonald but more jovial.Enjoyable bedtime fare, with a sometimes cumbersome vocabulary and the cultural gaps resulting from a lapse of a hundred years.My ten year old daughter loved reading this book out loud to the family on road trips and it remains a favorite.

I read Edward Eager's fantasy books forty years ago. The characters in his books read books by E. Nesbit. So I'm enchanted to find that these are real books and I can read them on my Kindle.However, my Kindle version has no illustrations. Ouch! The Project Gutenberg edition has beautiful line-drawings. It would be lovely to integrate these.Aside from the missing illustrations, the book was wonderful. Literally, full of wonder: lots of twists that I've never encountered before or since. Dragons both good and evil; princes likewise; unexpected weaknesses and resolutions. Plus a few jokes slipped in for adults (at least, I think they would have gone over my head when I was eight.)

'The book of dragons' is a collection of fairy tales for young readers, spanning many different time periods (even modern) but with dragons as the essential theme. I figured that, even though these are stories for kids, I would still enjoy them, just like I enjoy many fairy tales and folklore books. I was wrong however, because after the first two stories, which were decent, the book went downhill fast. The stories were bland, quite honestly, boring. I don't see how these stories could be enjoyable for any age, they are too long and boring for young kids to read, they are too kiddish for young adults, and they have no flavor for adults at all. I know many people like this book, but I am not one of them. Sorry...2 stars

The best of Edith Nesbit can be found in her books such as "Five Children and It" and "The Phoenix and the Carpet" and "The Treasure Seekers." However The Book of Dragons is quite enjoyable, too. She has a twee style which appeals to both adults and children and adds humour to the stories.

I got this for my daughter to share my love of dragons with her. It is a collection of short stories. I am sure we will enjoy them together.