Summary
Summary of The Book of Dragons
Key ideas
Key idea 1
Dragons appear where nobody expects them
A dragon may climb out of a painted page, arrive among animals of the wrong sizes, or lie frozen at the top of the world. In these eight tales, dragons enter very different lives, including those of a small boy made King, a poor blacksmith, and a boy full of questions. Nesbit brings them together with a chatty, sly voice that speaks to children while winking at grown-ups. An ordinary moment can become an adventure as soon as someone opens a forbidden book.
Key idea 2
A crown cannot control a dragon
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Key idea 3
Children seek help beyond ordinary boundaries
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Key idea 4
Practical thinking matters more than weapons
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Key idea 5
Secrets and questions shape dragon encounters
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Key idea 6
Kindness has strength that rank lacks
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Key idea 7
A conversational voice makes room for jokes
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Key idea 8
Good tools need not be grand
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
Readers who love fairy tales told with a wink, comic dragons, clever children and kind-hearted heroes, and anyone who enjoys a story that can be read aloud one tale at a time.
What this book is
The dragons in this book appear in all sorts of places. One climbs out of a painted page, one lands on an island where the animals are the wrong sizes, one comes as a plague of green lizards, and one lies frozen at the top of the world. E. Nesbit wrote these eight tales for children in a chatty, sly voice, and she winks at the grown-ups too. Along the way you meet a small boy made King, a poor blacksmith, and a boy whose curiosity gets him into trouble. A boy is fetched to be King and opens a book he was told to leave alone.
In this summary
- 1Dragons break into a kingdom and an islandFree
- 2Dragons swarm in England and at the Pole
- 3Cleverness is tested by whirlpools and dungeons
- 4A pig keeper and a curious boy meet dragons
- 5Kindness and wit beat pompous grown-ups
- 6A chatty voice turns dragon lore into comedy
Key point 1 of 6
Dragons break into a kingdom and an island
Lionel is a small boy building a palace of bricks when two solemn ministers arrive to make him King. In the library he finds The Book of Beasts, a big brown volume with gold clasps. The ministers warn him off, but Lionel opens it anyway.
A painted butterfly flutters off the page, then a Red Dragon flies away to the hills. Being King does not help, because the Dragon calls every Saturday and carries off a football match, then Parliament. When it takes his rocking horse, Lionel cries for six days and then decides to try once more.
The second tale takes place in Rotundia, a round island where the animals have the wrong sizes. Guinea pigs are as big as elephants, and buns grow on trees. A hurt purple dragon lies by the great stone pillar, and kind Tom brings it buns while a wicked magician sees his chance.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
What does Nigel rely on when approaching the Princess's island?
Right. “In this tale, arithmetic matters more than a sword.”Not quite. “In this tale, arithmetic matters more than a sword.”
What quality is rewarded across the tales?
Right. “Across all eight tales, kindness is the quality that gets rewarded.”Not quite. “Across all eight tales, kindness is the quality that gets rewarded.”
How does Nesbit's storytelling voice involve the listener?
Right. “These asides keep the tales light and make the listener a partner in the joke.”Not quite. “These asides keep the tales light and make the listener a partner in the joke.”
Who’s who
- Lionel
- Lionel is a young king in The Book of Beasts who discovers a book whose creatures seem alive.
- Edmund
- Edmund is the boy at the centre of Kind Little Edmund, whose kindness and curiosity shape his adventure.
- The dragons
- The dragons are the creatures people encounter throughout the tales, ranging from fearsome threats to funny or sympathetic beings.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 43,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 2 h 55 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about The Book of Dragons
What is The Book of Dragons about?
It is a collection of eight fairy tales by E. Nesbit, each starring a different dragon. Children and kind-hearted people face them with wit, courage, and friendship, while the narrator pokes fun at grown-ups, officials, and schoolmasters.
Who wrote The Book of Dragons and for whom?
E. Nesbit, the English author of The Railway Children, wrote it for young readers. The tales are told in a warm, joking voice that speaks straight to the child listening, though adults enjoy the sly humor too.
How many stories are in The Book of Dragons?
There are eight tales: The Book of Beasts, Uncle James or the Purple Stranger, The Deliverers of Their Country, The Ice Dragon, The Island of the Nine Whirlpools, The Dragon Tamers, The Fiery Dragon, and Kind Little Edmund.
Is The Book of Dragons easy to read aloud?
Each tale stands alone, with lively dialogue, short scenes, and playful asides to the listener. That makes it a good book to read in single sittings, one story at a time, to children or to yourself.
What is the main message of The Book of Dragons?
The tales suggest that kindness, curiosity, and clear thinking solve more problems than rank or force. They also gently mock pompous adults who fail to listen to children and to the truth.
