More Dragons!

E. Nesbit wrote a number of very funny short stories about dragons. As mentioned earlier, dragons often operate outside the rules of society--and are often not even particularly villainous, or, if they are, they are not necessarily to blame for their villainy. 

They are hurricanes and volcanoes. They exist. They are awesome. 

So in E. Nesbit's short stories, The Defenders of Their Country wash away the dragons, not because they are entirely bad (despite eating people, including prime ministers) but because they are cluttering up the place.

And in "Uncle James," Uncle James is a worse villain than the dragon and ends up getting eaten--by the dragon. 

I recommend E. Nesbit's works in general!

I also recommend 100 Mighty Dragons All Name Broccoli by David Larochelle and Lian Cho, a hilarious book.

It's a counting book--but utterly unique for three reasons: 

 

1. The countdown is due to any number of reasons: 10 become professional surfers, for instance. 5 get to the moon. And so on.

 

2. The countdown isn't consistent. Sometimes, 40 leave. Sometimes, 22. Sometimes 2. At one point, 13 dragons...stay!

 

3. The countdown eventually ends at 1 (before the very last page, that is)--but throughout the countdown, it occasionally goes up as dragons return. And, in the end, the remaining dragon gives birth to...

 

100 dragons!