The Dragonology Handbook: A Practical Course in Dragons

This book is such a cute companion to the full-sized version - Dragonology, by the same authors - as it gives readers a taste of what this series of books has to offer when it successfully covers a mythological topic. The writing may be a bit juvenile for adult readers (hello, it is for kids), but I still really appreciate the time and effort that went into the design of this book, which balances text and artwork quite well and succeeds in a pleasing overall aesthetic. It's also quite cute that they chose to make this pocket version more than just a miniature representation of the full-sized edition, and tackled the subject matter in the form of a student's handbook - giving basic information about dragons, assigning "homework" for each show more thematic topic, and acting like a field guidebook rather than a tome of information (which certainly would not have worked in this small format). Final verdict: a surprising delight that is sure to engage young readers and remind adults of their childhoods. show less

The Dragonology series was one of my first exposures to these kinds of playful 'guidebooks' and they are instant classics. They were such powerful souvenirs of nostalgia, I had to have my own copies after I graduated HS. This is the more mobile, shorter version of the larger and longer Dragonology guides. These books are definitely marketed for younger audiences- including collectible items within the pages like stickers, maps, 'dragon skin' and 'dragon dust' (nothing but embossed paper with a scale pattern and a sealed bag of glitter) and even the author's report card (You know, to prove his authenticity and expertise in his dragon school). It definitely does the job of getting a kid's imagination stoked the right way. The book acts as show more both a guide and a workbook, for you to fill in your own answers from your own studies of dragons. It's very engaging and a nice source of entertainment. I know plenty of adults who enjoy these books too- my school librarians were such people. They always supported the idea that you are never too old to grow out of a love of fantasy and be in touch with your inner child from time to time because it is okay to be young at heart. They used this book as a sort of 'coffee table' book for the reading room, and it definitely received plenty of amused eyes on it- from adult to teen. I can't say enough nice things about this book and the Dragonology series. Please give it the love it deserves and check out a copy for yourself.

This is the smaller, more mobile verstion of the larger and more decorative volume.
My review of that one can be found here, although since it's overall the same book, my review does not change much:
https://www.librarything.com/work/73015/reviews/228407013 show less

Muito divertido, um excelente complemento ao Dragonologia.