Thursday 4 September 2014

Magic Lives Forever In Childrens Book About Dragons

By Mattie MacDonald


Dragons have intrigued and fueled man's imagination from the beginning of time. Even today, these giant, winged fantasy creatures that breathe fire and have magical powers, feature prominently in children's books.

Everybody has heard one or more stories about dragons. Young boys dream of slaying the monster and earning knighthood for saving a damsel in distress from the evil dragon. Young girls normally swoon over the fantasy prince in fairy tales who wins the hand of the beautiful, captive princess by slaying the dreaded monster. Almost every childrens book about dragons feature an impressive phantom monster with supernatural skills that appeals to their vivid imagination.

But why are dragons so popular? Where do they come from? And why is mankind so fascinated by these mythical creatures that never even existed?

Aah, says who? Never tell a kid that dragons do NOT exist and are NOT real. Kids have mystical powers and sensory abilities that grownups have lost . . . And that's why only THEY can see and hear the great many dragons living among us.

Dragons can have many forms and shapes. They can be good or evil. Big or small. Pretty or ugly, scary or loving. In the world of dragons anything is possible. It is a make-believe world into which one can escape and become whatever you want.

Today, there are literally a whole world of dragons for kids to play with and read about. Popular characters in the dragon world, such as Puff, the Magic Dragon, pop up like magic in video games, coloring books, pencil boxes, TV programs, puzzles, stickers and even on candy wrappers. Dragon lovers can take their favorite hero everywhere with them - even to bed in the form of a dragon doll or a printed duvet cover and pillow case! Children can even check out all facts about them on a new Kids Wikipedia about Dragons.

Artists can give free rein to their imagination when they illustrate books or capture dragon characters. Dragons can be any color, shape or size, have wings and horns or cuddly bodies, as long as they have long tails and supernatural abilities.

One would expect such a huge, fierce animal to be a mammal that gives live birth, but in many stories, baby dragons are hatched from huge eggs. The age old battle between good and evil are also fiercely fought in children's books about dragons. Many dragon stories have a deeper moral lesson where the kind, friendly dragon, representing good, has to save a princess, or even an entire town or country from the evil, bloodthirsty enemy.

Nobody seems to know where dragons originated from and where they live. The first seafarers believed the gigantic creatures they saw on the horizon - the place where the earth supposedly ended abruptly - were the "sea gods" protecting their aquatic kingdom. Many dragons have wings and supposedly live in the sky on a far-away planet from where they occasionally sweep down to earth to feed or . . . Kill!

Do these magical creatures stem from exaggerated myths about huge snakes, lizards and dinosaurs, or are they real and only visible to children? Who knows? One thing is for sure: mankind has always, throughout history, been fascinated by dragons and the thousands of children's books about dragons that are still being published today, prove that they are still alive and well . . . And probably will be with us forever!




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