Folklore & Mythology Books

Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons (Ologies)

Ernest Drake, Dugald Steer

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 108 new & used starting at $4.06

Buy at Amazon.com

Features:

• #1 New York Times Bestseller
• Chicago Public Library "Best Book for Children and Teens"
• Publisher's Weekly "Cuffie Award Winner" Most Unusual Book of the Year
• American Library Association "Best Book for Young Adults"

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths -> Dragons

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 134 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Not just for kids.... 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I had to add my two cents here. I see all of these reviews from kids or people who bought the book for a kid. I am 25 and am collecting the entire series. These books are beautifully done, informational and just plain fun to read and look through. Anyone with interest in mythology, literature and history would adore this series. It is attention getting for the young, but it is also academic enough for the adults. They are not patronizing or low leveled that would steer adult readers away. The tongue-in-cheek approach of the advertising inside can relegate the book to the younger crowd, but adults-you too can LOVE this book!

Editorial Review:

Dragonology is presented as a faux-scholarly book with everything you ever wanted to know about dragons. Purporting to be the actual writings of English Dragonologist, Dr. Ernest Drake, this book is filled with exquisite illustrations, fascinating faux-facts, a dragon alphabet, runes to decipher, lift-up flaps, and maps to explore. Covering everything from dragon habitats, physiology and behavior to finding, tracking, taming, and flying them. A really fun book for the Harry Potter crowd and anyone enamored of Dragons. Hardcover, 32 pages. (Ages 8+)

Christmas Around the World

Mary D. Lankford

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperTrophy Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $3.23

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderful! Appropriate for all ages! 5 out of 5 stars.
52 of 54 people found this review helpful.

As a third grade teacher, this book was a useful tool in teaching about Christmas Around the World. There are so few good books on this topic, and my students enjoyed the one page synopsis of Christmas for each of the countries discussed (about 10). The illustrations for each country are wonderful and vivid. We were able to learn about customs from these countries not usually presented in other books. I would recommend this book to any teacher, parent, or child seeking information about Christmas customs in countries around the world in this enjoyable and fact-filled book.

Festive 4 out of 5 stars.
29 of 30 people found this review helpful.

This is a fun book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Christmas. The book looks at 12 countries around the world where Christmas is celebrated on a national scale. One reads brief, but detailed, summaries of the Christmas events and traditions of those countries. From religious celebrations to marketplace customs, and from tasty foods to fun crafts, one is presented with a vivid and enlightening picture of how poeple around the world celebrate the holiday.

The physical book itself is well made and festive. Each page is colorful and has vibrant paintings of Christmas events in each culture. The type is small, so parents would need to read this to their younger kids. To help readers, the author has included a pronunciation guide in the back. There is also a "fact and fiction" section about common Christmas things which serves as a reference for those who may never have heard of Epiphany or even Jesus Christ. Fun and simple craft guidelines are also included.

While this is a book about Christmas, it is not a religious book (which disappointed me). It mentions religious events associated with Christmas, but treats it holiday as if it is essentially a cultural event. Nevertheless, it is a fun book that is very educational. It would be a great book to have to bring out to display and enjoy at Christmastime.

Editorial Review:

Ethiopian fringed umbrellas; star-shaped Filipino parol lanterns;candlelit Swedish St. Lucia crowns-Mary Lankford bringstogether Christmas traditions from twelve different lands,like decorations on a splendid tree.

Encyclopedia Mythologica: Fairies and Magical Creatures (Encyclopedia Mythologica)

Amazon Price: $18.47 List Price: $27.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $15.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( S ) -> Sabuda, Robert

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautiful pop-ups, text wasn't my favorite 4 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3MJS3EVVU91O This book lives up to the standard that Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda have set with first rate pop-up engineering. Every page has a central pop-up that is beautiful and interesting. Each page is further embellished with a minimum of two corner pull-outs that are also pop-ups in themselves with history as to the folklore of fairies. From this perspective, it is top notch.

The area where I was a little disappointed was in the history of the fairies themselves. It starts out interesting enough explaining that fairies appear in the legends of every continent. But it tends to focus on the darker aspects of the folklore. I've never researched the history of fairies, but I prefer to think of them as benevolent beings. Most of the stories focused on their pranks and the misfortune they can bring. The final corner pullout talked about the English girls who supposedly played with fairies and set up a camera to catch them on film. It was a well publicized case because it was later exposed as a hoax. They had used cuts out from an old children's catalog. The girls admitted their prank but claimed that one photograph was authentic.

I loved the artwork and pop-ups, but the actual text made me feel creepy sometimes, and in the end, sort of sad. While I will show it to my children, I will use my own words to describe the fairy world. If you're really into pop-up books, this is worth adding to your collection, but if your true interest is the lighter side of fairies, I prefer the pop-up book How to Find Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker.

Editorial Review:

Introducing a dazzling new series premiere! The world’s pop-up masters invite you to peek inside the fairy realm as it transforms before your eyes.

Open this entrancing book and meet Shakespeare’s Queen Titania, springing up with her silver wings aflutter. Further on, a crystalline elfin castle rises into the clouds, not far from some scary hobgoblins and trolls. And on a truly stunning spread, a humanoid magical tree spreads its branches to reveal a face within its foliage, while flowers unfold and rearrange their petals, turning into flower fairies. Visiting mythical beings around the world, from household brownies to the merfolk lurking deep below the sea, this breathtaking 3-D book, brimming with facts and fancy, will hold humans of all ages in its spell.

Peter and the Starcatchers

Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Disney Editions Amazon Marketplace: 100 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Action & Adventure

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 219 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Humorist Dave Barry and suspense writer Ridley Pearson have clearly taken great delight in writing a 400-plus page prequel of sorts to Scottish dramatist J.M. Barrie's beloved Peter Pan stories. The result is a fast-paced and fluffy pirate adventure, complete with talking porpoises, stinky rogues, possible cannibals, a flying crocodile, biting mermaids, and a much-sought-after trunk full of magical glowing green "starstuff." Ever hear of Zeus? Michelangelo? Attila the Hun? According to 14-year-old Molly Aster they all derived their powers from starstuff that occasionally falls to Earth from the heavens. On Earth, it is the Starcatchers' job to rush to the scene and collect the starstuff before it falls into the hands of the Others who use its myriad powers for evil.

On board the ship Never Land, an orange-haired boy named Peter, the leader of a group of orphaned boys being sent off to work as servants in King Zarboff the Third's court, is puzzled by his shipmate Molly's fantastical story of starstuff, but it inextricably binds him to her. Peter vows to help his new, very pretty friend Molly (a Starcatcher's apprentice) keep a mysterious trunk full of the stuff out of the clutches of the pirate Black Stache, a host of other interested parties, and ultimately King Zarboff the Third.

The downright goofy, modern 8-year-old boy humor sometimes clashes with an old-time pirate sensibility, and the rapid-fire dialogue, while well paced, is far from inventive. Still, the high-seas hijinks and desert-island shenanigans will keep readers turning the pages. Greg Call's wonderful black-and-white illustrations are deliciously old-fashioned and add plenty of atmosphere to a silly, swashbuckling story that shows us how Peter Pan came to fly and why he, and his story, will never get old. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

Drawing Dragons: Learn How to Create Fantastic Fire-Breathing Dragons

Sandra Staple

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ulysses Press Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $8.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Drawing -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Arts & Music -> Art -> Drawing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An achievement I can say I am truly proud of! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I am the author of this book so obviously I am going to be biased that this is simply the BEST dragon drawing book on the market...but putting that aside, here is some useful information about this book.


1. It is 150 black and white pages, but it does include a 16 page colour insert of full page illustrations.

3. I drew the entire book in pencil. Unlike drawing books that claim "all you need is a paper and pencil" but then the artwork is all done in computer programs like Adobe Photoshop, this book is truly drawn all in pencil! Not that I have anything against digital medium mind you, but if you want to learn how to draw and SHADE dragons using more traditional- and less expensive- mediums, than "photo shopped" artwork isn't going to teach you what you need to know. So this book is all done in graphite pencil. The colour insert is also done using coloured pencil.

4. The style I draw in could be called "fantastic realism" in that, unlike many other fantasy/dragon drawing books out there, my artwork is not all cartoony or comic bookish. I try to draw most of my dragons realistic looking.

5. I get many emails from people asking me how to shade, and I find shading is one important aspect of drawing that most fantasy/dragon drawing books lack! So for each drawing tutorial I have included steps on how to shade each dragon.

6. This entire book is all about drawing dragons. There is no big filler section in the back covering all kinds of unrelated creatures or characters, or full page spreads filled with loosely drawn sketches with zero detail. I do have some great sections on drawing all different types of scales, ridges, horns, and more, so if you do pick up the book I hope you enjoy it!


For more information on this book, or for a sneak preview at some of the artwork within, come and join my Facebook group at:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33674938744

Thanks!

-Sandra
Canadian Dragon Fantasy Art
http://www.canadiandragon.com

Editorial Review:

T-Rex may be king of the dinosaurs and the lion may be king of the jungle, but the undisputed, hands-down ruler of mythical creatures is the dragon. Now, anyone with an interest in drawing these amazing creatures can follow the program in this book and learn to do it. Avoiding the "copy-it-yourself" approach found in other books, Sandra Staple teaches readers all the skills they need to create their own dragon menagerie. Every step is presented with ease and clarity, taking the bewilderment out of the drawing process and showing that great complexity begins with utmost simplicity. For beginners, there's a special primer section, while more experienced artists can dive right in to drawing the mythical creatures that fill their imaginations.

Dragonology Tracking and Taming Dragons Volume 1: A Deluxe Book and Model Set: European Dragon (Ologies)

Ernest Dr Drake

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 61 new & used starting at $1.98

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths -> Dragons

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Here is the essential reference for all budding dragonologists - the ultimate companion to the 1-million-copy, #1 national bestseller DRAGONOLOGY!
Inside this deluxe guidebook and model package, readers will find the complete TRACKING AND TAMING DRAGONS, in which preeminent dragonologist Dr. Ernest Drake shares all you need to know to set out on the trail of dragons in the field. Plus, each pack features an easy-to-assemble, lifelike hanging model of the "Draco occidentalis magnus," or European dragon, with a 23-inch wingspan and movable wings!

- Based on the best-selling DRAGONOLOGY
- Silver-foil-embellished cover
- Includes 24-page paperback book and easy-to-make model with gold-foil details
- The book and model are enclosed in a sturdy 10 x 1113/16 book-like case, making it the ultimate companion to DRAGONOLOGY!

Also includes an EXCLUSIVE preview of the next exciting Ology title, PIRATEOLOGY (July 2006):
- Each book will be wrapped with a full-color bellyband that proclaims: Coming July 2006, PIRATEOLOGY. Be the first to solve the riddle and find the treasure! Exclusive Preview and Secret Clue Inside!
- Each book will contain a mysterious envelope containing a letter, along with a fragment of a pirate map and secret code in order to begin the adventure that continues in PIRATEOLOGY!

The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: W. W. Norton & Company Amazon Marketplace: 48 new & used starting at $14.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Children's Literature Guides

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Another outstanding book in the Annotated Classics Series! 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This is a beautiful book on the magical, scary, enchanting and
wonderful world of the fairy tale! Marie Tatar a Harvard German professor has done a superb job in putting this book together!
The stories range from the classics of the borthers Grimm, Perrault and Hans Christen Anderson. Fairy tales from several cultures are included from Great Britain, Germany, France, Russia
and Denmark.
The volume is beautifully illustrated with the illustrations from such giants as Cruikshank, Rackham, Parrish and several others.
This work is a beautiful way to share story time with one's
children or grandchildren. If you are going to buy one book of fairy tales appealing to both children and adults then this is the lavish lifetime volume for you!
Excellent!

Editorial Review:

This beautiful volume celebrates the best-loved stories of childhood through the vision of Maria Tatar, a leading expert in the field of folklore and children's literature. Challenging the notion that fairy tales can be read for their morals and used to make model citizens of little children, Tatar guides readers through the stories, exploring their historical origins, their cultural complexities and their psychological effects. Maria Tatar shows that by providing children with powerful models for navigating reality, these tales help children survive in a world ruled by adults. Twenty-six classic stories are presented - including "Beauty and the Beast", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "The Little Mermaid". Maria Tatar has also assembled over 300 mostly four-colour photographs, paintings and illustrations, some very rare, creating a volume that will rank as one of the finest fairy tale collections in many decades.

Tales of the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May or May Not Exist (Darby Creek Publishing)

Kelly Milner Halls, Rick Spears, Roxyanne Young

Amazon Price: $12.89 List Price: $18.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Darby Creek Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $11.38

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Tales of the Cryptids 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for my 10 year old nephew, who, despite all the super electronic gizmos competing for attention at Christmas, took this one up to bed Christmas Eve, and couldn't put it down. Neither could his father, or his 8 year old brother. And I read it before I gave it to him. Very well-researched and balanced with an enquiring approach to the whole subject of Cryptids. Many thanks to the authors for another excellent book that gets kids to unplug from the computer, read a book and get their brains in gear.

Editorial Review:

Everyone loves the stories of legendary creatures that just might really exist. This book relies on the latest information from cryptozoologists, experts who study these mysterious beings, and the counter-arguments are explored from experts who strongly believe they do not exist. Stories from eyewitnesses are recounted, as well. Included in the book are Bigfoot (Sasquatch), Loch Ness monster, Mokele Mbembe (Africa), Kongamato, Shunka Warak’in, Mapinguari (South America), giant squids, mermaids, coelocanths, and more. An extensive "For Further Investigation" section, offering readers more places to find information, concludes the book.

Pirateology: The Pirate Hunter's Companion (Ologies)

William Captain Lubber

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 127 new & used starting at $0.33

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror -> Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 54 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Ahoy, OLOGISTS all !

A new discovery from the publishers of DRAGONOLOGY, EGYPTOLOGY, WIZARDOLOGY . . . PIRATEOLOGY!

Found in a sunken sea chest off the coast of Newfoundland, a buried journal revealing secret and complete knowledge of the piratical life!

This facsimile of the hidden-in-sea-chest journal from 1723, recording the secrets of famed pirate hunter Captain William Lubber, tells of Lubber’s around-the-world voyage on the trail of the "verminous female pirate" Arabella Drummond - always one tantalizing step out of Lubber’s reach.

Special features of PIRATEOLOGY include: * Foil-embellished and jewel-encrusted cover with a special surprise feature! * Envelop containing Lubber’s letter of marquee * Piece of an aged treasure map (find the missing piece!) * Foldout map showing Lubber’s route and the locations of pirates around the globe * Instructions and string for practicing sailor’s knots * Packet of gold dust * Ransom note * and much, much, more ….

PIRATEOLOGY, The Pirate Hunter’s Companion, makes landfall JULY 2006 !

Mythology (DK Eyewitness Books)

Neil Philip

Amazon Price: $10.87 List Price: $15.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: DK CHILDREN Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $6.75

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General AAS
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Social Science -> Folklore & Mythology

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Mythology (DK Eyewitness Books) 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I expected this book to be laid out more in stories. That's how it was described. I was disappointed.

Great Visuals, but not a story book 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a book about Mythology and shows lots of visuals of ancient art showing how they depicted their mythology. It's organised by types of mythology, creation myths, fertility myths, afterlife myths, not by cultures. It's a broad introduction to the topic, and I know kids will find the pictures interesting and they will want to learn more about the specifics, which will require other books, but for a child first begining to understand mythology, or even the roots of NeoPaganism, this and perhapse the DK eyewitness book on religion would be a great start. The best part, in my opinion, is that it even encludes a few Biblical myths. ;) As far as age range goes, I think it would be good for 8-14 ish, but child millage and maturity will vary.