Delightful collection of stories and poems about dragons of all kinds, combined with beautiful illustrations. ( )

I adore Jane Yolen. Actually, beyond that -- I want to be her, or at least be me with a life roughly parallel to hers. Yolen has written hundreds of books, from numerous fantasy classics to "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?" and every time I read something of hers, I like her and her work even better. This brief volume of poems and short stories -- all focused, obviously, on dragons -- is no exception. Some of these stories we've seen before, just in different shapes ("The Dragon's Boy", a short story here, was later expanded into a sequence of novels.) Some, particularly the poems, are fun and new and seem like an insight into Yolen's personality. I read this book in pieces, over time, and it seems to me to be a great "read aloud" book -- especially the poetry. Heartily recommended to fantasy fans, even the young ones, and to people who simply enjoy a great story.