Picture Books
Adams, Sarah. Dave & Violet.Violet’s friend Dave is a shy dragon who has trouble fitting in, but Violet stands by Dave and encourages him to meet new people.
Ashburn, Boni. Over at the Castle. In this variation on the folk song “Over the Meadow,” the occupants of a medieval castle spend their day spinning, cleaning, cooking, and dancing, until they receive a special surprise from their dragon neighbors.
Banks, Kate. Max’s Dragon. Max is looking for rhyming words (“Look what I found on the ground”) while his brothers play a game of croquet. These rhymes take on a life of their own as he imagines a dragon in the clouds.
Bar-el, Dan. Not Your Typical Dragon. When Crispin Blaze turns seven, he’s expected to breathe fire like all the other dragons. But instead of fire, he breathes a host of unusual things.
Brill, Calista. Little Wing Learns to Fly. When young dragon Little Wing flies too far away, he has to find a way back to his home and remember the dragon rules his mother taught him.
Deedy, Carmen Agra. The Library Dragon. Miss Lotta Scales is a dragon who believes her job is to protect the school’s library books from the children, but when she finally realizes that books are meant to be read, the dragon turns into Miss Lotty, librarian and storyteller.
Deedy, Carmen Agra. Return of the Library Dragon. Miss Lotta Scales, a dragon also known as Miss Lotty the librarian, wants to retire from taking care of the school’s library but will not willingly stand by and see her beloved books replaced by computers.
De Las Casas, Dianne. There’s a Dragon in the Library. After seeing a green-speckled reptile hatch from an egg one day after storytime, young Max tries to convince someone that there is a dragon in the library, growing ever larger as it eats books, but no one believes him.
De Paola,Tomie. The Knight and the Dragon. A knight who has never fought a dragon and an equally inexperienced dragon prepare to meet each other in battle.
DiPucchio, Kelly. Dragon was Terrible. When a dragon has a temper tantrum, no one can tame him, except for a little boy with a good book.
Docherty, Helen. The Storybook Knight. Ordered by his parents to tame a dragon, a gentle knight who prefers reading to fighting arms himself with a book.
Driscoll, Amanda. Duncan the Story Dragon. Duncan the Dragon loves to read–but he keeps accidentally lighting his book on fire. He wants to get to the end of his story, so he tries to find a friend to read to him.
Ehrlich, Amy. Baby Dragon.All day, Baby Dragon turns down other animals’ offers to go play or find a snack while he waits for his mother to return for him, but at nightfall, he agrees to go with Crocodile to find her.
Eversole, Robyn. East Dragon, West Dragon. East Dragon and West Dragon are suspicious of one another although they have never met, but when the western king is captured in the Eastern Kingdom and West Dragon goes to rescue him, they find they have much in common.
Falkenstern, Lisa. A Dragon Moves In. When Rabbit and Hedgehog bring home a newly-hatched dragon they all have a wonderful time together, but soon the dragon baby grows too big for their house.
Florian, Douglas. How to Draw a Dragon. Illustrations and easy-to-read, rhyming text guide the reader in drawing scaly, knobby-kneed dragons that fly, play musical instruments, ride bicycles, and more.
Gassman, Julie. Do Not Bring your Dragon to the Library. A child brings a dragon to the library and learns a valuable lesson–libraries and dragons do not mix.
Gliori, Debi. Dragon’s Extraordinary Egg. A dragon finds an abandoned egg and lovingly raises the hatchling as her own, although Little One is very different from the baby dragons, and when disaster strikes it is the small, feathered hatchling that saves the day.
Gliori, Debi. The Trouble with Dragons. When dragons cut down too many trees, blow out too much hot air, and do other environmental damage, the future looks grim, but other animals advise them on how to mend their ways and save the planet.
Godin, Thelma Lynne. How to dress a dragon. A small child helps his reluctant, toddler-like dragon get dressed.
Gorbachev, Valeri. How to Be Friends with a Dragon. A girl tells her younger brother all of the rules he must follow in order to befriend a dragon.
Hodges, Margaret. Saint George and the Dragon. Retells the segment from Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, in which George, the Red Cross Knight, slays the dreadful dragon that has been terrorizing the countryside for years and brings peace and joy to the land. (Caldecott Award, J 398.2 Hod)
Hoppe, Paul. The Woods.Various animals and monsters leer, gawp, and taunt a small boy, until the creatures are eventually revealed to be the boy’s own stuffed animals, seen scattered on his bedroom floor.
Joosse, Barbara M. Evermore Dragon. When a girl gets lost playing hide-and-seek with her dragon friend, the beast looks high and low to find her.
Joosse, Barbara M. Lovabye Dragon. When a lonely dragon follows a trail of princess tears, a beautiful friendship is born. They march and sing, roar and whisper, hide and seek, then settle into snug companionship at bedtime.
Julian, Sean. Sloppy Wants a Hug. Sloppy the dragon asks Dewdrop the sprite for a hug, but she says no for a reason she cannot remember.
Kirk, David. Oh So Brave Dragon. Dragon knows he is supposed to be brave and is ready to try out his fearsome roar, but when he hears something that scares him, he turns to his forest friends for help in finding the noise and renewing his courage.
Klostermann, Penny Parker. There Was an Old Dragon who Swallowed a Knight. In this variation on the traditional cumulative rhyme, a greedy, hungry dragon eventually learns moderation.
Knapman, Timothy. Guess What I Found in Dragon Wood. In this twist on the “boy finds lost pet” tale, a young dragon discovers a Benjamin in Dragonwood.
Knudsen, Michelle. Argus. Sallie’s class is supposed to be raising chicks as a science project, but although Argus, the large, green, scaly creature that hatches from her egg, causes all sorts of trouble she worries about him when he disappears.
Lehrhaupt, Adam. I Will Not Eat You. A dragon resists the urge to eat the animals that approach his cave.
Light, Steve. Have You Seen My Dragon? Invite young readers to practice counting to twenty while helping a small boy search the city for his pet dragon.
Long, Ethan. One Drowsy Dragon. As one dragon tries to take a nap, his ten little dragons, in increasing numbers, disturb his sleep by making milk shakes, screaming at scary movies, and playing loud games.
McKay, Hilary. There’s a Dragon Downstairs. Despite what her parents say and what she sees with her own eyes each time she checks, Sophie is still convinced that she hears a dragon each night. She’s determined to find it herself and gets a wonderful surprise when she finally does.
Morris, Jackie. Tell Me a Dragon. Children describe their dragons, which come in different shapes, sizes, and colors and have various talents and skills.
Pavey, Peter. One Dragon’s Dream. As a dragon dreams of turkeys, tigers, kangaroos, and seals, the reader can count the items hidden within the dream.
Ramos, Mario. I Am So Strong. When the big, bad wolf sees a baby dragon’s towering mother, he realizes that he is not really the strongest.
Robinson, Michelle. The Forgetful Knight. A forgetful narrator tries to tell the tale of a knight’s duel with a dragon, and remembers a very important thing along the way.
Rubin, Adam. Dragons Love Tacos. Explores the love dragons have for tacos, and the dangers of feeding them anything with spicy salsa.
Rubin, Adam. Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel. When dragons run out of tacos, they travel back in time to get a fresh supply.
Saltzberg, Barney. Would You Rather be a Princess or a Dragon? Some little ones want to be princesses; others want to be dragons. The message of this book is that you can actually be both! There are lots of things you can be: a little wild, a little sweet. A little polite, a little troublesome. A little dainty, a little dragony.
Soman, David. The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy. As imaginary superhero Bumblebee Boy, Sam rejects his pesky little brother’s help in defeating pirates, dragons, and saber-toothed lions, but when Sam comes up against some scary aliens, he discovers the advantage of having a sidekick.
Thomas, Shelley Moore. This Book is not about Dragons. Something is chasing Mouse, who claims it is absolutely not a dragon.
Troupe, Thomas Kingsley. The Truth about Dragons. Describes the different world mythologies about dragons, including what they look like, where they live, and how they act towards humans, and presents famous tales and legends about dragons.
Wojtowycz, David. Elephant Joe, Brave Knight! Elephant Joe and Zebra Pete grab their armor and horses in order to retrieve the king’s crown from the Dark Knight.
Watley, Bruce. Clinton Gregory’s Secret. As the title suggests, Clinton Gregory has a secret. In fact, he has seven of them, one for every night of the week. As big as a couple of giants, or as small as a magical sea horse, as fierce as a triceratops or as unassuming as a nearsighted frog, each secret is as whimsical and mysterious as the next.
Yolen, Jane. Waking Dragons. In the morning, dragons wake up, tumble out of bed, and get ready to fly into the sky.
Fiction
D’Lacey, Chris. Last Dragon Chronicles series. When college student David Rain rents a room in an unusual boardinghouse full of clay dragons, he has no idea that they, along with some lively squirrels, will help jumpstart his writing career. (Series -1st book – The Fire Within) 340 pages. (J FIC D’La)
D’Lacey, Chris. The Erth Dragons series. Gabrial is a young dragon, anxious to both prove himself and also find his father who years ago was one of a Wearle of dragons who set out from their home planet and were never heard from again – and now he is part of a new Wearle that has come to Erth, but one of the other dragons has dark plans, and when war erupts between dragons and humans, Gabrial finds that his only ally is an unusual human boy called Ren. (Series – 1st book – The Wearle) 284 pages. (J FIC D’La)
Klimo, Kate. The Dragon in the Sock Drawer. Cousins Jesse and Daisy always knew they would have a magical adventure, but they are not prepared when the “thunder egg” Jesse has found turns out to be a dragon egg that is about to hatch. 159 pages. (J FIC Kli)
Lacey, Josh. The dragonsitter series. Disaster ensues when Eddie is asked to care for his uncle’s pet dragon while the latter takes a week-long vacation. 50+ pages. Level N (J FIC Lac)
Osborne, Mary Pope. Night of the Ninth Dragon. When a mysterious note invites them to Camelot, Jack and Annie travel in the magic tree house to the magical kingdom where they must find a lost dragon. (Part of the Magic Treehouse series. Merlin Mission #27) 121 pages. Level N. (J FIC Osb)
Sutherland, Tui. Wings of Fire series. Determined to end a generations-long war among the seven dragon tribes, a secret movement called the Talons of Peace draws on a prophecy that calls for a great sacrifice, compelling five appointed dragonets to fulfill a painful destiny against their will. (series – 1st book – The Dragonet Prophecy) 304 pages. (J FIC Sut)
Yep, Laurence. Dragon’s Guide series. Crusty dragon Miss Drake’s new pet human, precocious ten-year-old Winnie, not only thinks Miss Drake is her pet, she accidentally brings to life her “sketchlings” of mysterious and fantastic creatures hidden in San Francisco, causing mayhem among its residents. (series -1st book – A dragon’s guide to the care and feeding of humans) 152 pages. Level S. (J FIC Yep)
Illustrated Literature
Bernhardt, William. Princess Alice and the Dreadful Dragon. Princess Alice of the nation of Very-Mixed-Upolis discovers a dragon egg in the Great Marshmallow Fields and decides to raise the newly hatched creature herself, but his fiery breath proves to be a greater problem than expected.
Krause, Ute. Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon. When it is time to feed the village’s dragon, the townspeople–being fresh out of princesses–send Oscar, a little boy with lots of culinary skills, who shows the dragon that a good meal does not need to include princesses or little boys.
Lacroix, Alexandre. Dragons: Father and Son. A young dragon named Drake is told by his father that he needs to burn down some houses in a nearby village to prove he is a real dragon, but when Drake gets there, he finds that his task is more complicated than it seems.
Niemann, Christoph. The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters. When Lin’s beloved pet dragon disappears, she searches for him far and wide until a witch helps her to reach the dragon’s new home. Introduces a different Chinese character on each step of Lin’s adventure.
Pringle, Laurence, P. Imagine a Dragon. Relates myths about dragons from different countries and from different time periods, including dragon lore from Egypt, Greece, England, and China.
Beginning Readers
Albee, Sarah. The Dragon’s Scales: A Math Reader. When a dragon threatens to disrupt the life of the townspeople, a little girl challenges the scaly creature to a math contest involving knowledge of weight.
George, Kallie. Spark. Spark is a little dragon with a big problem. He can’t control his fiery breath. Even practicing doesn’t help. Will Spark ever be able to tame his flame?
Hayes, Geoffrey. A Poor Excuse for a Dragon. When Fred the dragon leaves home, he learns that he is not very good at roaring or breathing fire, and swallowing people only makes him ill, but with help from a witch, a giant, and a wise boy he finds his true calling.
Hillert, Margaret. Dear Dragon’s Fun with Shapes. A boy and his pet dragon look at shapes such as squares, circles and triangles and then go outside to find shapes in nature and objects. (Series)
Loehr, Mallory. Dragon Egg. A dragon’s egg rolls out of its nest in a cave, continuing along a road, past a castle, and through a town, where it bumps against a rock and cracks.
Webster, Christy. Bath Party! Norville the dragon is covered in mud, but does not like baths, so Gina and Wally plan a bath party to get him clean.
West, Tracey. Future of the Time Dragon. Drake travels back in time to save a Dragon Master.
Non- Fiction
J 743.87 Ber. Bergin, Mark. Dragons – How to Draw.Provides instructions on drawing dragons, shows readers how to use perspective, and discusses tools and materials.
J 811.54 Pre. Prelutsky, Jack. The Dragons are Singing Tonight. A collection of poems about dragons, including “I’m an Amiable Dragon,” “If You Don’t Believe in Dragons,” and “A Dragon is in My Computer.”
J 808.81 Car. Carle, Eric. Eric Carle’s Dragons. Dragons & Other Creatures that Never Were. An illustrated collection of poems about dragons and other fantastic creatures by a variety of authors.
J 495.1 Li. Li, Jian. The Water Dragon: A Chinese Legend; Retold in English and Chinese.A little boy, Ah Bao sets off in search of the Water Dragon, to save his village from a mysterious drought. This edition contains both English and Chinese text.
J 398.2454 Pen. Penner, Lucille Recht. Dragons. Relates myths about dragons from different countries, including where they live, what they eat, and how they look, as well as how the myths may have developed.
J 398.2454 Hin. Hinds, Kathryn. Dragons. Explores the mythical and historical backgrounds of dragons, both in the East and the West.
Additional books about Dragons can be found at J 398.2454.
