The Reluctant Dragon

I had never read this short story before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Stories from so long ago don't always hold up, especially in terms of vocabulary that a kid can grasp. No such worries here, while there were a couple words that were unusual, they didn't get in the way of my kid's comprehension. There's a frame story that was cute, rather than a waste of time as they generally are, which I appreciated. The actual story, after it gets going, pokes fun at the whole idea of knights slaying dragons in a way that was funny to me, and it entertained my 5 year old immensely.

This is a wonderful story to read aloud to children. I enjoyed it so much. It is just perfect length for one long sitting. The language Kenneth Grahame used was delightful, with just a dozen or so unusual words to be explained, but using the old words added to the authentic feel of the story set long ago.

A very fun short story about a lazy dragon who can’t be bothered fighting and a saint who gets tricked by the townsfolk into fighting the dragon because of how many grievances the dragon supposedly caused. Explores the themes of dishonesty, gossip, violence and quarrelling in a very fun but satirical manner. Solid, quick read!

The Reluctant Dragon is a charming story about friendship and about finding peaceful solutions to our problems. One evening, a shepherd comes home and tells his family that a dragon has taken up residence in a cave near their home. Fortunately, the shepherd's son is a thoughtful boy who likes to read, and the shepherd and his wife decide to let their son investigate and decide what to do. When the boy discovers that the dragon is quite well-mannered and not interested in bothering anyone, the two become friends. All goes well until the nearby villagers decide that a dragon can only mean trouble and call in no less than the famous St. George to deal with him. Now it's up to the boy's to be resourceful and clever enough to work things out show more without anyone getting killed.

This isn't your ordinary fairy tale, which becomes apparent very early in the story when we learn how the boy's parents, especially his father, are quite willing to let him have interests in books and other academic knowledge rather than forcing him to learn a trade. They consider it a very sensible division of labor, since the boy can handle any affairs requiring such things and they won't have to bother with all that reading and such. This turns out to be a very sensible approach indeed with the arrival of the dragon, and an attitude that more fathers should consider adopting about their “changeling” sons. The boy's relationships with the dragon and with St. George, who are simultaneously his mentors and his pupils, mirror the best relationships that a boy can have with older male relatives in which both parties can learn and grow. The Reluctant Dragon is part of the Plain Tales Classics series of audio books and has excellent production values for children. The text is read slowly and clearly, without any extraneous sound effects or music that could distract from the audibility of the words themselves. Children will enjoy imagining themselves as the inventive little boy who has to solve problems for the grownups, and will learn a little about peacemaking and good relationships as well. Review by Book Dads show less

Whimsical story of a dragon who isn't interested in fighting, even when the infamous St George arrives to remove "the scourge". Adults will appreciate the subtle humor.

Of course, I had 'The Wind in the Willows' as a child. I truly wish I'd had this story as well. It's less well known - but I'm not sure why.

This is a truly wonderful story-within-a-story: two children, fancying that the snow tracks they've followed from their yard are those of a dragon, encounter a kindly neighbor, who tells them a story - of course, about a boy who meets a literarily-inclined, and unusually good-tempered dragon.

Whimsical, warm and clever.

Kenneth Grahame, best known for his rollicking The Wind in the Willows, wrote this beautiful short story in 1898, and it’s a classic that simply doesn’t age. In this time of COVID-19, Audible made quite a few of its children’s books available for free, and I took advantage and listened to Anton Lesser’s flawless narration. A silver lining to this dark, dark cloud.