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kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
5.0
What a fantastic fairy tale! I love the whimsical writing and the sweet and funny story line.
fearandtrembling's review against another edition
4.0
I love [b:The Wind in the Willows|5659|The Wind in the Willows|Kenneth Grahame|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1423183570l/5659._SY75_.jpg|1061285] and this has much of the same spirit in a shorter version. Wise, goofy animals with a philosophical bent who, for the most part, just want to be left alone to ponder the world. A cute satire on the chivalric romance and upending expectations about bravery, adventure, and perhaps crucially, violence. And this is cute in the best way; far from twee or cloying.
bespectacled's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
tarq1's review against another edition
2.0
A curious tale that was written in a wholly different time, from an apparently different mindset.
A peculiarity that immediately stood out to me was how many layers of story telling are contained within this short tale. At one point Kenneth Grahame is telling a story about two children and a man who is telling a story about a boy and a dragon who is telling a story about his past experiences with other dragons. Christopher Nolan would be proud.
Another thing that instantly sets The Reluctant Dragon apart is that the parents of the little boy, in the story within the story, believe him when he says something that most parents instantly write-off in more current fairy tales.
Herein, however, we find statements such as this: "The Boy found it an easy matter to set the mind of his parents' at ease about his new friend [the dragon]. They had always left that branch to him, and they took his word without a murmur."
"Would that it were," I can imagine many honest children the world across screaming at this very moment.
Also, the lofty talk and breadth of vocabulary seems to vastly outclass that which I would consider being at a child's reading level, at least the ones to whom I assume at which this story was aimed. There is even nothing shy of a grammar lesson, to the boy, from the dragon, when trying to calm him, "Don't be violent, Boy... Sit down and get your breath, and try and remember that the noun governs the verb, and then perhaps you'll be good enough to tell me who's coming."
Although the story is mostly amusing and a quick enough read, the overt colloquialisation of the dialogue, exiting the mouths of the children at the first layer of the story, and the rather abrupt, and mostly unsatisfying ending, made The Reluctant Dragon one that I would reluctantly recommend.
Note: I wrote this review in much the same style as the story. If you found this review wordy, and somewhat hard to read, be forewarned.
A peculiarity that immediately stood out to me was how many layers of story telling are contained within this short tale. At one point Kenneth Grahame is telling a story about two children and a man who is telling a story about a boy and a dragon who is telling a story about his past experiences with other dragons. Christopher Nolan would be proud.
Another thing that instantly sets The Reluctant Dragon apart is that the parents of the little boy, in the story within the story, believe him when he says something that most parents instantly write-off in more current fairy tales.
Herein, however, we find statements such as this: "The Boy found it an easy matter to set the mind of his parents' at ease about his new friend [the dragon]. They had always left that branch to him, and they took his word without a murmur."
"Would that it were," I can imagine many honest children the world across screaming at this very moment.
Also, the lofty talk and breadth of vocabulary seems to vastly outclass that which I would consider being at a child's reading level, at least the ones to whom I assume at which this story was aimed. There is even nothing shy of a grammar lesson, to the boy, from the dragon, when trying to calm him, "Don't be violent, Boy... Sit down and get your breath, and try and remember that the noun governs the verb, and then perhaps you'll be good enough to tell me who's coming."
Although the story is mostly amusing and a quick enough read, the overt colloquialisation of the dialogue, exiting the mouths of the children at the first layer of the story, and the rather abrupt, and mostly unsatisfying ending, made The Reluctant Dragon one that I would reluctantly recommend.
Note: I wrote this review in much the same style as the story. If you found this review wordy, and somewhat hard to read, be forewarned.
evilevel's review against another edition
3.0
It is a cute story about a dragon. I love dragons, so that is Always good. I do admit that the story itself was not very deep and the 'boy' annoyed me sometimes. I do think if it wasn't for the dragon, I would have graded it lower.