Kenneth Grahame is author of The Wind in the Willows. However, before the beloved classic, there was Dream Days in which appears this delightful story.
Kenneth Grahame lived by the Downs near Uffington in Oxforsdhire; the location of the famous Uffington White Horse and the place where, according to legend, St George fought a dragon. The Downs is where this charming story takes place.
A dragon makes his new home in a cave near a farm. The farmer, a shepherd, is naturally apprehensive because dragons and humans are enemies, right? One evening when the farmer’s wife questions him about his odd mood, he mentions the dragon and his extraordinary young son say that he will take care of the dragon.
The next day the boy meets with the dragon and they become friends. The dragon is a homebody, isn’t interested in battles, and therefore has outlived all other dragons. The boy is bookish. They share a passion for poetry and the things of dreams but there is one problem. The rest of the world believes dragons are dangerous. And, as the boy is well aware, the local villagers love a good fight. The boy tries to warn his friend about the dangers of living near the village but the dragon simply won’t listen.
Soon St George comes to fight this most reluctant of dragons. The villagers want a fight and they will get a fight. They fill St George’s ears with false tales of the horrors that the dragon has inflicted on them. Then the boy, concerned for his friend’s safety, visits with George and sets him straight.
With a little coaxing and perhaps a bit of manipulation the dragon’s young friend and George convince the dragon to give the villagers what they want so that he can have what he wants. And so St George and the dragon agree to stage a battle.
This enchanting story was adapted and abridged by Inga Moore who also illustrates it. Inga Moore’s illustrations are charming – realistic and whimsical at the same time. She does a particularly fine job of illustrating St George’s face as he struggles with the realities of his ‘job’ as he is interviewed by the dragon’s young friend before the impending fight.
Perhaps, Inga Moore’s foreword captures the delight of this story the best when she writes, “Of course he wrote it a long time ago, but this heartwarming story of friendship between a dragon and a boy is as meaningful today as it has ever been.”
The Reluctant Dragon, by Kenneth Grahame illustrated and abridged by Inga Moore (Candlewick Press, 2004, ISBN 0-7636-2199-4).
