Dragons

I freakin' loved this book as a kid ( )

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. These books are definitely marketed for younger audiences- including items within the pages like pull out tabs, maps, 'dragon skin' or '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 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 larger, more ornate version of the Dragonology books. The print quality is both outstanding and appealing- complete with a metallic ink dragon surrounding 3 green 'gems' that appears to be inset on the cover of a mystical tome.

I have generally the same thing to say about the smaller, more compact version of this book:
https://www.librarything.com/work/73016/reviews/228346416 ( )

A whimsical book for sure, the textures and little pop out details are gorgeous. The thick binding grabs your eyes with "Dragon" on the side followed by "ology", any kid who doesn't know the second half of the word, is already pulled in by the first. It's lively within the pretty cover, with many illustrations that leave you reading tiny print details and fiddling with paper flaps that hide secrets. Definitely recommend for kids, it's a keeper! ( )

This series is wonderful, I remember flipping through it with my little cousins, they were in owe when they touched "The Dragon Skin". It's cute to see how much they believed in mythical creatures. ( )