Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Dragonology Tracking and Taming Dragons - Volume 1, European Dragon
Illustrator: Douglas Carrel
Novelty Book Series
For ages 8 to 12
Candlewick, 2006 ISBN: 978-0763632335
It is to be hoped that you have already prepared yourself thoroughly in the ways of dragons by reading Dr. Ernest Drake?s other Dragonology titles. If so, then you may now be ready to track and tame the great creatures for yourself. Keep in mind however that tracking and taming dragons can be highly dangerous and that you should always be cautious.
Tracking dragons is not a hard task and in this book you will find all the information that you need to be able to do this with comparative ease. The author provides his readers with excellent diagrams showing dragon footprints and dragon scat. He also describes in detail where one should go to find various kinds of dragons. For example, if you want to find a European dragon, you are best advised to go to a mountainous region where there are caves.
You may, once you have found a dragon, wish to tame the creature. If the animal is an adult you have a hard, if not impossible, task ahead of you. If it is a chick you have a better chance of succeeding but you must never let your guard down. A docile dragon may simply be biding its time before it decides that the time has come to ?make a snack out of you.?
Not only does the author guide his readers through the training process but he also has noted down some valuable case studies to help the novice dragonologist better understand the unique situations that a dragon lover may encounter.
There can be no doubt that this is a book no dragonologist should be without. A wonderfully written, often humorous text is accompanied by highly detailed and beautifully rendered annotated illustrations. In addition to the book this volume also includes a model of a European dragon which is not only easy to put together but which also will help the novice dragonologist identify these fascinating creatures in the wild.
