Dragons & Mythical Beasts

G. K. Chesterton once said that the old stories were about heroes among dragons, while the new ones are all about dragons among dragons. He was talking about the modernist propensity for exploring man's psyche rather than the more enduring theme of Good vs. Evil—more enduring because it's more substantive, and more interesting because it involves genuine conflict.

The older stories are the ones we typically recommend. This isn't a petting zoo for merely metaphorical dragons; the monsters here are real fire-breathing wyrms, and the heroes that fight them are flesh-and-blood sword-wielding warriors. Okay, there are a few exceptions (the My Father's Dragon books, for instance), but they're the rarity.

In the Bible, dragons are always bad. Satan is a dragon, and his primary mission is to destroy the bodies and souls of God's faithful elect, as well as anyone else he can burn to a cinder with sin and selfishness. Such creatures shouldn't be allowed to roam the earth, and as Christ's soldiers we're called to do battle with all the forces of evil, not to make friends with them.

We hope you'll enjoy these stories both as stories and as metaphors. The whole "man-fights-dragon" story is one of the oldest in the world, but it still isn't worn-out or boring. Kids need to hear tales like these, to be shown that life isn't just some extended picnic we can romp through carefree. It's war, and if they know how to take down a dragon the way Sigurd or St. George did, chances are they'll be able to fight long and successfully themselves.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Dragons & Mythical Beasts
122 Items found Print
Ancient, Strange, and Lovely
Dragon Chronicles #4
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.04
Beowulf
by Anonymous, translated by Seamus Heaney
from W. W. Norton and Co.
Medieval Poetic Epic for 9th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$21.21
Beowulf the Warrior
by Ian Serraillier
from Bethlehem Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.16
Book of Dragons
by Michael Hague
1st edition from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
Book of Dragons
by Ruth Manning-Sanders, illustrated by Robin Jacques
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Book of Lost Tales 2
by J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien
from Ballantine Books
Mythology, Faërie for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Book of Lost Tales 2
by J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Mythology, Faërie for 8th-12th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Book of Magical Beasts
by Ruth Manning-Sanders, illustrated by Raymond Briggs
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Book of the Dragon
by Montse Sant, illustrated by Ciruelo
from Paper Tiger
for 7th-Adult
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Champion of the Titan Games
Dragonwatch #4
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Children of Odin
by Padraic Colum
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$9.34
Children of Odin
by Padraic Colum, illustrated by Willy Pogany
from Macmillan
Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$32.00 (1 in stock)
Chinese Mythology: The Four Dragons
from PowerKids Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Coloring Dragons
by Amy Brown
for 3rd-Adult
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
D'Aulaires' Book of Trolls
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from New York Review of Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$19.51
DK Eyewitness: Viking
DK Eyewitness Series
by Susan M. Margeson
from DK Publishing
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$16.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Dragon Drawing Book
by Ralph Masiello
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-8th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Dragon Kite
by Nancy Luenn, illustrated by Michael Hague
from Harcourt Brace Jovanich
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Dragon of Og
by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
from Viking Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dragon Quest
by Allan Baillie, Illustrated by Wayne Harris
First US Edition from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$14.44
Dragon Rider
by Cornelia Funke
Deluxe from Chicken House
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Dragon Rider
by Cornelia Funke
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dragon Rider
by Cornelia Funke, translated by Anthea Bell
from Chicken House
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dragon Rider: Griffin's Feather
Dragon Rider #2
by Cornelia Funke
Deluxe from Chicken House
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Dragon Used to Live Here
by Annette LeBlanc Cate
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.29
Dragon's Hoard
Hall of Doors #1
by Rebecca Gilleland
from Progeny Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94
Dragon's Milk (The Dragon Chronicles)
Dragon Chronicles #1
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dragonology
by Dr. Ernest Drake, edited by Dugald A. Steer, B.A., S.A.S.D
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
Dragonology Volume 1
by Dr. Ernest Drake
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
Dragonriders of Pern Omnibus
by Anne McCaffrey
from Del Rey
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Dragons
from Simon and Schuster
for 7th-Adult
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
Dragons & Fantasy
from Walter Foster
for 4th-Adult
in Advanced Drawing Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTDRAD)
Dragons - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Christy Shaffer
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$3.99
Dragons and Dragon Lore
2007th edition from Forgotten Books
for 7th-Adult
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Dragons of Blueland
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #3
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Random House
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Dragonwatch
Dragonwatch #1
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dragonwatch Collection
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Elmer and the Dragon
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #2
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Random House
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Elmer and the Dragon
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #2
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Random House
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Eric Carle's Dragons Dragons
by Eric Carle
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Eye of Zoltar OSI
Chronicles of Kazam Book 3
by Jasper Fforde
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Flight of Dragons
by Peter Dickinson, illustrated by Wayne Anderson
from Harper & Row
for 8th-Adult
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Flight of the Dragon Kyn
Dragon Chronicles #2
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.04
Flying Dragon Room
by Audrey Wood
from Scholastic Inc.
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Gargoyles and Medieval Monsters - Coloring Book
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
for 1st-3rd grade
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$5.99
Great Book of Dragon Patterns
from Fox Chapel Publishing Company
for 6th-Adult
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
Great Monster Hunt
by David C. Cooke & Yvonne Cooke
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 6th-8th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Henry and the Chalk Dragon
by Jennifter Trafton
from Rabbit Room Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Hero and the Crown
by Robin McKinley
Reissue from Puffin Books
for 5th-9th grade
1985 Newbery Medal Winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94
Hero and the Crown
by Robin McKinley
from ACE Publishing
for 5th-9th grade
1985 Newbery Medal Winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
History's Mysteries! Animals
by George Toufexis
from Dover Publications
for 4th-7th grade
in Animal Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-ANI)
$3.00
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
2nd edition from Ballantine Books
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$29.75
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.59
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.14
Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - Deluxe Hardcover Collection
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head
by Bill Peet
from Houghton Mifflin
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.49
How to Draw Dragons in Simple Steps
by Paul Bryn Davies
from Search Press
for 6th-Adult
in Advanced Drawing Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTDRAD)
How to Find Flower Fairies
from Frederick Warne & Company
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
How to Raise and Keep a Dragon
by Joe Nigg
1st edition from Barron's
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
Ice Dragon
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by Carole Gray
from Dial Books for Young Readers
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Inheritance Cycle - Hardcover set
by Christopher Paolini
from Random House
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Land of Narnia
by Brian Sibley
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-8th grade
in Exploring Narnia (Location: LIR-NAR)
Last Dragonslayer
Chronicles of Kazam Book 1
by Jasper Fforde
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Last Dragonslayer Set
by Jasper Fforde
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Last Unicorn
by Peter S. Beagle
from ROC Science Fiction
for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.45
Le Morte d'Arthur
Signet Classics
by Sir Thomas Mallory
from Signet Classics
for 9th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$6.76
Le Morte d'Arthur
Signet Classics
by Sir Thomas Mallory
from Random House
for 9th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
Legendary Creatures of Myth and Magic
by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by Michael Hague
from Madison Park Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
Little White Horse
by Elizabeth Goudge
from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Lord of the Rings Deluxe Hardcover Boxed Set OSI
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-12th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$106.25
Master of the Phantom Isle
Dragonwatch #3
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
My Father's Dragon
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #1
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Random House
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1949 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.76
My Father's Dragon
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #1
by Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett and Helena Perez Garcia
from Bushel & Peck
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1949 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
My Father's Dragon
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #1
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Dover Publications
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1949 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
My Father's Dragon
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #1
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Dover Publications
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1949 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
My Father's Dragon Trilogy
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Random House
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$19.14
Mythical Beasts - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Fridolf Johnson
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$3.99
Pegasus
by Marianna Mayer & K. Y. Craft
1st ed from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$15.29
Pegasus
by Marianna Mayer & K. Y. Craft
1st ed from Morrow Eagle
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.60 (1 in stock)
Pet Dragon
by Christoph Niemann
from Greenwillow Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Pet Dragon
by Christoph Niemann
First Edition first Printing from Greenwillow Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Poo-Poo and the Dragons
by C. S. Forester, illustrated by Robert Lawson
1968 Reprint from Little, Brown & Company
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Raising Dragons
by Jerdine Nolen, illustrated by Elise Primavera
from Harcourt
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Ralph's Secret Weapon
by Steven Kellogg
1st edition from Sun Dial Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Clearance: Picture Books (Location: ZCLE-PIC)
Reluctant Dragon
by Kenneth Grahame
from Holiday House
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.74
Reluctant Dragon
by Kenneth Grahame
from Holiday House
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Reluctant Dragon
by Kenneth Grahame
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Reluctant Dragon
by Kenneth Grahame
from Holiday House
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Return of the Dragon Slayers
Dragonwatch #5
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Roverandom
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.59
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
Fir from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Saint George and the Dragon
by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Nicki Palin
from Doubleday & Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Science of Monsters
by Timothy J. Bradley
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Sea Monsters - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$4.99
Sea Serpents Around Us
by Lois and Louis Darling
Stated First Edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary
Fablehaven Book #4
by Brandon Mull
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Sign of the Dove
Dragon Chronicles #3
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.04
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