Image Map

Year of the Dragon: Flames, Fire, and Fantasy in Dragon Books


On Monday people living in the Eastern hemisphere crowded the streets to celebrate the Chinese New Year with fireworks, family reunions, dinners, prayers, and dances. This year marks the Year of the Dragon, regarded by Asian culture to be the most important of the twelve signs in the zodiac.

If you take a moment to think about why the Year of the Dragon is so popular, you might realize that out of the 12 years, it is the only fantasy creature in the Chinese zodiac, which furthers the mystical nature of the dragon.

Dragon lore enamors people. As a kid and teenager I remember feeling similar sentiments. I watched shows with them on TV, I drew pictures of them, but more importantly I can remember that literature inspired my love for dragons.
















It started when I fell in love with Eric Carle’s Dragons, Dragons. Later I read many books about dragons such as Eragon by Christopher Paolini.

Before Harry Potter tried his hand in taming a dragon or two, author Bruce Coville let his character Jeremy Thatcher raise a dragon. As one of my favorite childhood books, Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher can be a enjoyable read for anyone wanting to enter a fun world of fantasy.

Cornelia Funke, fantasy writer said, “I always wanted to ride a dragon myself, so I decided to do this for a year in my imagination.” 

Over in the BYU Bookstore we have joined in the dragon festivities. We have shared our favorite dragon books and talked about great reads for this year. Anita in Children’s Books said that she is a fan of the recent How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

As a symbol of good luck, strength, and power in the Chinese zodiac, perhaps reading a dragon book this year might be a good idea. 









What is your favorite dragon book?

-Hillary

8 comments:

  1. I've recently bought a book called The Dragon Keeper's Handbook, by Shawn MacKenzie. That's a fun book. I wrote a review of it.

    http://www.tomkeplerswritingblog.com/2011/11/book-review-dragon-keepers-handbook-by.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. I read your review. I really enjoyed it, it was nice to hear a review about a not-so-stereotypical dragon book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Quality articles or reviews is the crucial to interest
    the people to visit the website, that's what this web page is providing.
    My web site - accessori barche

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your next write ups thank you once again.
    my site :: eco.kid

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! After all I got a web site from where I can truly get useful data regarding my
    study and knowledge.
    Here is my web site : click through the next page

    ReplyDelete
  6. Appreciation to my father who stated to me regarding this website, this blog is actually
    remarkable.

    Feel free to surf to my website; Shabby Chic Moebel Karlsruhe

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hola! I've been reading your web site for a long time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from New Caney Tx! Just wanted to mention keep up the good work!

    Feel free to visit my web site oddesity

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This post posted at this site is really nice.


    Feel free to surf to my blog post - california casualty auto and home insurance

    ReplyDelete