[Monday Reading] Dragon Stories and Spellbinding Tales Around the World

Fats here.

It’s Monday, What are You Reading is a meme hosted by Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers (new host of Monday reading: Kathryn T at Book Date). Since two of our friends, Linda from Teacher Dance and Tara from A Teaching Life have been joining this meme for quite awhile now, we thought of joining this warm and inviting community.

My post for today highlights two funny picture books about dragons and two magical collections of stories from different parts of the world.

One Drowsy Dragon

Written and illustrated by Ethan Long
Published by Orchard Books (2010)
ISBN-10: 9780545165570
ISBN-13: 978-0545165570

One Drowsy Dragon is a riotous concept book by Ethan Long, inspired by his son Cooper. The book follows the story of one drowsy dragon who is trying to sleep. His little dragons, however, have something else in mind. Will this one drowsy dragon ever be able to sleep? This is a fun counting book that kids five years old and below would enjoy! ♥♥♥♥

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Dragons Love Tacos

Written by Adam Rubin
Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers (2012)
ISBN-10: 0803736800
ISBN-13: 978-0803736801

This book is so good! I could read this a hundred times over — at the very least. I love tacos myself, so I had a great time reading about dragons that love to eat tacos!

The way to a dragon’s heart is always through his stomach.

The narrator talks to a little boy and tells him all about dragons and their love for tacos. If the boy wanted to befriend a dragon, serving taco should do the trick. Dragons also love to party. Their favorite kind? Taco parties. The boy, however, is warned that dragons hate salsa. Will the boy be able to make friends with dragons and throw the grooviest taco party every? You’ll have to find out! ♥♥♥♥♥

Why do dragons love tacos?
Maybe it’s the smell from the sizzling pan.
Maybe it’s the crunch of the crispy tortillas.
Maybe it’s a secret.

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Tales of Wisdom and Wonder

Retold by Hugh Lupton
Illustrated by Niamh Sharkey
Published by Barefoot Books (1998)
ISBN-10: 1905236840
ISBN-13: 978-1905236848

Tales of Wisdom and Wonder contains seven stories from different parts of the world: Haiti, Canada, United Kingdom, France, West Africa, Russia, and Ireland. Professional storyteller Hugh Lupton (co-founder of the Company of Storytellers) offers his own variations of the tales included in this book. A few of the stories feature enchanting animals, while others are about extraordinary beings. Each of these stories represent the culture from which they originate. Niamh Sharkey’s illustrations are marvelous! ♥♥♥

“Answer this question,” she said. “Did the fox cure the girl, or did the girl cure the fox?”
— from The Curing Fox

“Even though his eyes saw nothing, he seemed to know more about the world than people whose eyes were as sharp as needles.”
— from The Blind Man and the Hunter

“And as for his wife, if she started telling secrets or spreading gossip, people would look at her and shake their heads…”
— from Fish in the Forest

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Breaking the Spell:
Stories of Magic and Mystery from Scotland

Written by Lari Don
Illustrated by Cate James
Published by Frances Lincoln Ltd (2013)
ISBN-10: 1847803423
ISBN-13: 978-1847803429

I picked up this book on the same day that I picked up Tales of Wisdom and Wonder. Author Lari Don who has spent most of her life in Scotland retells 10 magical stories from the Scottish Borders to the islands. I liked this collection a lot and I recommend this to fellow adventurers and magic lovers. My favorite story in this collection is the one called Breaking the Spell: The Story of Tam Linn. I am glad I discovered the art of Cate James. Some of Cate’s illustrations remind me of Lauren Child’s, with a touch of her own magic. Pick up this book if you’d like to learn about Scottish lore or if you simply want to be captivated. ♥♥♥♥

“The Fairy Queen turned Tam Linn into a lion. Janet felt the lion’s claws on her shoulders and smelt its hot bloody breath on her face, but she held on tight.”
— from Breaking the Spell: The Story of Tam Linn

“A long time ago the most dangerous place in Scotland wasn’t the border or the mountains or the cliffs. The most dangerous place in Scotland was the edge of the forest.”
— from Whuppity Stoorie

“And in honour of the greatest warrior she had ever fought, the greatest warrior she had ever taught or learnt from, Skiach named the black and red mountains of Skye after Cuchullin.”
— from School for Heroes

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Currenty Reading…

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What are you reading this week?