Have you ever heard of the Ology World series? The Ology World series are beautifully illustrated fantasy books presented like they were encyclopedias with letters and flaps and folds galore. The first in the series is Dragonology: The Complete Book of Dragons.
During one of our bookstore visits, we couldn't pull the daughter away from it ... and she would be on the lookout for them each time we visited. She became quite addicted to this series starting at about eight or nine years old because the books present fantasy as if it were fact. She totally believed that say, dragons, existed. Keeping mum about this being fiction was kind of like keeping her believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy!
Let me show you some of the cool things about Dragonology, and you may just start believing ...
Upon opening the book, you get a quick introduction about dragons and dragon research from the book's author Dr. Ernest Drake, the renowned 19th century dragonologist. This comes in the form of a handwritten letter tucked away in a sealed envelope! And here's a peek at what Ernest Drake looks like ...
During one of our bookstore visits, we couldn't pull the daughter away from it ... and she would be on the lookout for them each time we visited. She became quite addicted to this series starting at about eight or nine years old because the books present fantasy as if it were fact. She totally believed that say, dragons, existed. Keeping mum about this being fiction was kind of like keeping her believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy!
Let me show you some of the cool things about Dragonology, and you may just start believing ...
Dragonology is a rather large hardback, with a beautiful red embossed cover, with green gems! The cover illustration prepares you for the wonderful visual and tactile treat you are about to embark on ...
Upon opening the book, you get a quick introduction about dragons and dragon research from the book's author Dr. Ernest Drake, the renowned 19th century dragonologist. This comes in the form of a handwritten letter tucked away in a sealed envelope! And here's a peek at what Ernest Drake looks like ...
And so begins our adventure with a huge fold-out map of the world to help you locate specific dragon species. Here's some of the dragon species you'll learn about, complete with scientific name: European Dragon (Draco occidentalis magnus), Frost Dragon (Draco occidentalis maritimus), and the Asian Lung, (Draco orientalis). {I love the level of research that went into this, making all this quite plausible!}
The book becomes more encyclopedia and guidebook now, as different dragon species are described with lovely illustrations and field notes. You'll find out how to work with dragons, learn about their characteristics and temperaments ...
... and you can even touch various samples
of dragon material, many rare, like dragon scales and skin! Good to have this type of info under your belt if you're out in the wild, don't you think?
Get a full dragon biology lesson with these fold-outs!
And see what the life cycle of a dragon is like, with a sneak peek into an unhatched egg:
This book is seriously packed. You'll also learn about the mythology and folklore surrounding dragons, have at your fingertips some dragon-calling spells, some dragon riddles ...
... and even learn dragon script!
Verdict: A wonderfully interactive book that will keep your youngsters busy for hours and their imaginations running wild. Be ready for the inevitable stream of questions and don't be surprised if they say they want to be a dragonologist when they grow up ... well, until the topic of the next Ology book!
Watch out for my next Ology World book tour! Monsters or wizards first?
I can see why your daughter was hooked! I'd have to be peeled away myself.... I have quite the fascination with dragons.
ReplyDeleteIt popped in my mind when I saw your review about the dragon book! And I didn't know you liked dragons, Freda :)
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