Landscape with Dragons

Landscape with Dragons

The Battle for Your Child's Mind

by Michael O'Brien
Publisher: Ignatius Press
2nd Edition, ©1998, ISBN: 9780898706789
Trade Paperback, 261 pages
Price: $17.95

In his book A Landscape with Dragons, Michael O'Brien examines contemporary children's literature and finds it spiritually and morally wanting. His analysis is a controversial, yet thoughtful study of what millions of young people are reading and the possible impact such reading may have on them.

In this study of the pagan invasion of children's culture, O'Brien, the father of six, describes his own coming to terms with the effect it has had on his family and on most families in Western society. His analysis of the degeneration of books, films, and videos for the young is incisive and detailed. Yet his approach is not simply critical, for he suggests a number of remedies, including several tools of discernment for parents and teachers in assessing the moral content and spiritual impact of this insidious revolution. In doing so, he points the way to rediscovery of time-tested sources, and to new developments in Christian culture.

If you have ever wondered why a certain children's book or film made you feel uneasy, but you couldn't figure out why, this book is just what you need. This completely revised, much expanded second edition also includes a very substantial recommended reading list of over 1,000 books for kindergarten through highschool.

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Summary: Children's literature provides a training ground for virtue, but only if dragons and heroes are in their proper places.

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