Creature Files: Dragons

Incredibly-illustrated, here is a jam=packed book about mythical creatures. Not for the faint of heart, the critters pictured on these pages are downright scary. Descriptions and anecdotes about dragon history according to world cultures accompany the fine illustrations.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about dragons. The gorgeous drawings had me spellbound! I have two boys that are enamoured by all things mythical, and I know that they will just love it. Must have for the mythical creature shelf on anyone's bookcase!

“They are the real stars in stories about knights rescuing princesses.” Wow.
European dragons have bad reps, so it’s nice to see the Asian nice ones included here. Ethiopian and Armenian dragons were the most interesting, but none as weird as the cockatrice (which is okay with spellcheck, oddly enough), though the tarasque is close (and not in spellcheck).
The font is difficult to read, but other than that it’s a fun intriguing book with plenty of angry dragons drawn beautifully.

Creature Files Dragons
Encounter 20 Mythical Monsters
by L.J. Tracosas
This is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
This book is filled with the most astonishing artwork of dragons of all kinds. They are just stunning, frightening, amazing, and held me mesmerized! Each dragon had background information with it such as the name of dragon, type of dragon, dates of it's legend, place of legend, what the dragon was suppose to look like, able to do, etc. It was fun information. This was a great book for any dragon lover or those that love art in general. I really enjoyed reviewing this awesome book! I didn't like the cover very well but all the dragons inside are amazing.

Kids will love to read about these mythological characters........

This was a great book full of brilliant images and crammed to the brim with facts!

I liked the graphics and the descriptions of the dragons from the different aspects of folklore within different countries, it really does show you how wide ranging dragons are in culture with the numerous different names, types and beliefs - a very interesting book!

This book is interesting for may reasons. The first being that it is about “imaginary” animals and the rest of the series is about actual animals. But this book makes you think maybe they are not so imaginary. It looks at 20 types of dragons as found in mythology the world over. It gives you an idea of what was thought at the time and the place about these creatures. Each one also goes into detail about the type of bite the dragon may have had. Included are dragons such as the Wyvern, Hydra, and a Chimera. Their illustrator does an excellent job, my favorite is the Knucker dragon because it looks like Jar Jar Binks.

***This book was reviewed for Quarto Publishing via Netgalley

This lovely book by LJ Tracosas looks at a select handful of dragon myths from the world over. Dragon mythology was the subject of my anthropology thesis, and still a huge love of mine. Myths of dragon-like creatures can be found wherever man himself can be found. Twenty different dragons are covered in this little book, each accompanied by beautiful artwork.

A few pages at the beginning cover an introduction, draconic characteristics, and real life animals that may have helped inspire tales of dragons. Each dragon entry that follows has a brief listing of stats including location, habitat, and if the dragon was capable of flight or breathing fire. There are a few neat facts per entry, and gorgeous artwork, even if the depictions are at times bizarrely fanciful. Some are mythic beasties I wouldn't necessarily consider *dragons* per se- the cockatrice and the chimera. At the end is a section with creatures from the natural world today that pay honour to the dragons of myth with their names. Creatures like the world’s largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon, every bit as dangerous as its namesake, or the delicate leafy seadragon, a wee member of the seahorse family.

Overall, this book is a wonderful introduction to dragon lore from around the world. There is much, much more, to be sure! Like the feathered serpents of Meso- and South America, of which the most well known are Quetzalcoatl and Kukulkan. Or the rainbow serpents of Oceania, and the uktena of North America.

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Creature Files Dragons: Encounter 20 Mythical Monsters by L J Tracosas is a children's book that blends fact and fiction. Do you believe dragons are simply the scaly stuff of myths? Or do you think they really existed? Whatever side you're on, this collection of twenty fascinating creatures is sure to spark your imagination. In Creature Files: Dragons, you’ll take a tour through the world of fire-breathing, gold-hoarding, three-headed monsters and discover where and how these magical creatures came to be. Learn the unique folklore of cultures around the globe, from China to Russia to Eastern Africa, and see how people envisioned these otherworldly beasts through lush and evocative illustrations. Included are many meaty facts to gnaw on—like which dragon had too many teeth to count, and which dragon had teeth as big as a man’s arm—along with a realistic dragon-tooth necklace! And science lovers will also find something to sink their teeth into: facts about real-life dragons that exist today. These dragons may not breathe fire, but they share some of the same traits as their mythical brethren.

Creature Files Dragons: Encounter 20 Mythical Monsters is a nice exploration of how myths about creatures share certain traits across the world, but also differ in some ways. Dragon lore, and other legends, has always been one of my favorite topics.. I like that pronunciation is included for the different types of dragons from around the world, and the roles that dinosaur fossils played in the legends. I enjoyed the illustrations, especially how they detailed the features of the different dragon legends. I was very interested to see how the heads of some resembled well know animals- snakes, warthogs, fish, birds, and so on. I also liked that maps showing where the countries of origin for each type of dragon legend is included on the page with the information. I also like the inclusion of some creatures that I never considered to be part of dragon lore, but share similar features and traits- such as the hydra and cockatrice. I always considered them their own kind of creature, rather than part of a larger classification, but the little bit of lore given does explain these inclusions. My only two complains are that the font chosen for some of the text makes it hard to read, particularly in digital file, and that there are many different creatures included, the information offered about each is minimal, although well worded and interesting.

Creature Files Dragons is an attractive and interesting read for those interested in mythical creatures in general, and dragons in particular. It is far from comprehensive, but offers some good bits of legends, lore, and information. The artwork is very eye catching and well done, and I found myself studying the art much more intently that the text. I can think of many middle grade readers that will read, enjoy and likely re read this book- but at a fan of the topic I was hoping for a little bit more.