“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in
living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”
~Dr. Seuss
This Dr. Seuss quote argues that
fantasy is necessary and relevant. People sometimes dismiss fantasy
as not being real literature, but fantasy looks imaginatively at real-life
elements “through the wrong end of a telescope.” For instance, Harry Potter features topics of racism,
war, and friendship in a world of wizards and witches. With Dr. Suess’ quote in
mind, I chose to feature two fantasy books this week that
include real life topics, such as friendship, feminism, or growing up. Each book's plot also
revolves around a dragon.
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: Grades 5-7
Dealing with Dragons takes the usual fantasy
tropes and twists them into something new. Everyone knows that the knight in
shining armor rescues the damsel in distress from the evil dragon, but what
happens when the dragon is good and the princess doesn’t want to be rescued?
Another reason I picked this book is because Dealing with Dragons has a strong female
heroine who is smart and practical (not many princesses learn how to cook, sew, and read Latin). Cimerone's behavior is also admirable when she confronts the wizards and knights, as she isn't rude to them when they keep turning up on her doorstep. My favorite description of Cimorene is by Alexis in a blog post for Children’s Books and Reviews (which also provides an excellent review and summary).
Alexis says Cimorene is a feminist role model because she shows young readers “that being an admirable woman isn’t [emphasis added] just about pushing boundaries and not letting ‘the Man’ put you in a box. It’s also about conducting yourself with grace and dignity, caring for and respecting others, and generally behaving like an honorable human being.” In other words, Cimorene may not let knights and wizards tell her what to do, but she is still treats both them and herself with respect. For example, Cimorene refuses to go away with the knights when they turn up to rescue her, but she politely redirects them to other princesses who wish for knights to rescue them.
Alexis says Cimorene is a feminist role model because she shows young readers “that being an admirable woman isn’t [emphasis added] just about pushing boundaries and not letting ‘the Man’ put you in a box. It’s also about conducting yourself with grace and dignity, caring for and respecting others, and generally behaving like an honorable human being.” In other words, Cimorene may not let knights and wizards tell her what to do, but she is still treats both them and herself with respect. For example, Cimorene refuses to go away with the knights when they turn up to rescue her, but she politely redirects them to other princesses who wish for knights to rescue them.
Jeremy
Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville: Grades
5-7
Summary: When a magic shop appears near Jeremy
Thatcher’s route home from school, he goes in and purchases a strange stone.
When the stone turns out be a dragon’s egg and hatches in his bedroom,
Jeremy must care for the baby dragon until it’s big enough to return
to the magical realm of dragons.
Bruce Coville is great at creating
worlds that seem ordinary until a magical element is introduced. The result is
that Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
inspires readers’ imagination by allowing readers to imagine fantastical
creatures existing in an ordinary world like theirs.
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher also provides examples of coping with realistic life problems similar to ones in our everyday lives, rather than problems like preventing wizards from harming a dragon employer (though Dealing with Dragons’ characters demonstrate demonstrate admirable behavior when dealing with magical problems, such as Princess Cimerone’s loyalty and feminism). In Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, however, Jeremy is dealing with relatable problems at school, such as the girl who won’t leave him alone or the art teacher who picks on him. While Jeremy is raising his dragon, though, Jeremy learns valuable lessons about caring for others and is able to resolve his problems at school. For example, when his art teacher scolds him for drawing a dragon instead of a still-life, Jeremy uses his newfound altruism and realizes that his teacher is jealous of Jeremy's drawing abilities and doesn't actually hate him.
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher also provides examples of coping with realistic life problems similar to ones in our everyday lives, rather than problems like preventing wizards from harming a dragon employer (though Dealing with Dragons’ characters demonstrate demonstrate admirable behavior when dealing with magical problems, such as Princess Cimerone’s loyalty and feminism). In Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, however, Jeremy is dealing with relatable problems at school, such as the girl who won’t leave him alone or the art teacher who picks on him. While Jeremy is raising his dragon, though, Jeremy learns valuable lessons about caring for others and is able to resolve his problems at school. For example, when his art teacher scolds him for drawing a dragon instead of a still-life, Jeremy uses his newfound altruism and realizes that his teacher is jealous of Jeremy's drawing abilities and doesn't actually hate him.
Below, I have included other book recommendations
to complete this post on dragon-featuring fantasy books.
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George (grades 5 and up)
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (grades 2-5)
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
(grades 3-7)
I think fantasy is such a great genre for kids to explore serious world issues. Harry Potter explored abuse, war, death of family members, and developing friendships. I think your book selections were nice additions to the fantasy genre that expose kids to slightly less intense issues that kids will come to face. Giving girls an alternative view on what they are capable of doing is awesome and sets them up for a future of exploring their interests unapologetically. I also really like the addition of Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher because it shows how boys can be nurturing and delicate. To take care of something takes patience and a gentle hand, so I really like how Jeremy is a boy shown doing something that is typically a female-centric task.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I hadn’t considered that Jeremy’s care of the dragon shows a boy doing a female-centric task. Dragons are always thought of as fierce and independent, so they are the fantasy equivalent of someone having a tiger or bear in real life. But Jeremy does have to raise the dragon from a baby and forms a bond with the dragon (which I think is portrayed more as a fire-breathing puppy), so there is a nurturing side portrayed in the book. I think the book shows characters doing tasks outside of stereotypical gender roles in a subtle way that appears natural, so that the reader doesn’t even notice or question it. Like I said, I didn’t even consider the nurturing side of the book until you pointed it out, so I’m glad you mentioned it. Though patience when caring for others is always a desirable trait in both males and females.
DeleteIf you liked Dealing With Dragons as a child, I recommend you check out Neil Gaiman's The Sleeper and The Spindle. It is half graphic novel half text, and it tells the story of Snow White going to recuse Sleeping Beauty. It doesn't have dragons, but it does have dwarfs! Here is the summary from Goodreads:
DeleteA thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell – weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish.
On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents.
Lavishly produced, packed with glorious Chris Riddell illustrations enhanced with metallic ink, this is a spectacular and magical gift.
I remember one of my favorite movies as a child was Barbie's Rapunzel, which featured a very loving purple dragon. Also, one of my favorite TV shows was Dragon Tales, so I have loved the creatures since I was 5. I think introducing children to classic 'dragon' stories is a great way to venture into the fantasy genre! (The Hobbit, anyone?)
I will definitely have to read The Sleeper and The Spindle now. I love Chris Riddell's illustrations. He drew the illustrations for the Edge Chronicles (which I love) and a number of other children's books. I know the Edge Chronicles wouldn't be as good if they didn't have the imaginative illustrations accompanying the story, as there are so many new fantasy creatures that readers don't have a standard prototype (like a dragon) to help them envision the characters. I also watched Barbie's Rapunzel and Dragon Tales, so maybe my interest in fantasy did come from watching shows like those.
DeleteI personally love dragon-centered stories. Eragon is one of my favorite book series. Please ignore the fact that Eragon was made into a movie. It has no right to suggest that it was based off the book.
ReplyDeleteI've always read fantasy, so it doesn't cross my mind that some people don't regard it as a "real" genre. I think I learned how to be a good person through reading fantasy. I read the Magic Tree House in its entirety. I was able to learn about the world and the past, but I also learned what it meant to persevere and do what was right.
On a side-bar, I had the Barbie's Rapunzel Barbie Doll and stuffed animal. The dragon had wings and talked. It was awesome. I also always made my dolls fairies, so I guess fantasy was in every aspect of my life.
I think we would all like to forget the Eragon movie. I love fantasy too, and I never thought about it not being "real" literature until this semester. I think fantasy should be respected more, as fantasy has given us so many great stories that have lasted throughout generations (Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc.). As well, while the Newberry Honor books are usually realistic or historical fiction there are fantasy book winners, such as The Hero and The Crown or A Wrinkle in Time. I think that fantasy books like these are important in supporting both children's and adults' imagination.
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