65 Best Dragon Books For Kids

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Ready for a big list of fantastical, magical dragon books for kids who love dragons?

Here are my children’s book suggestions for what you should read with kids. . . all the best picture books, chapter books, middle grade books, and a few YA choices about dragons for ages 3 to 18.

Because dragons are so cool.

And probably real.

dragon books

Dragon Books

Picture Books

dragon books

What’s in Dragon’s Backpack! by Joan Holub, illustrated by Christopher Lee
See what books dragon reads, the games and toys he brings to school, the food he loves like hot sauce and firecrackers, and much more in this adorable lift-the-flap book of surprises! 

Dragon Was Terrible by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli 
Kids will love this naughty dragon who scribbles in books, steals candy from baby unicorns, and even burps in church! The king will reward a brave knight, er, anyone, with a nice gift if only they can tame the terrible dragon. But one boy knows what to do — lure and tame the dragon with a STORY.

Izmelda The Fairest Dragon of Them All! by Joan Marr, illustrated by Lala Watkins
Izmelda is a dragon who wants to meet a princess, so she finds one— but Princess Penelope needs to hurry to get to her class because witches are chasing her. It’s taking forever because Izmelda talks Penelope’s ear off and that’s when the witches arrive! In a surprising twist, the witches aren’t scary at all. Kids will love the hilarious characters and playful fantasy story.

dragon books

Dragons Are the Worst! by Alex Willan
If you like silly books with mythical creatures, you’ll love this book narrated by Gilbert the Goblin. From dragon poop to hoarding gold, dragons are the worst. Or are they? Maybe dragons aren’t so bad after all!?

There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann, illustrated by Ben Mantle
I don’t know why he swallowed a knight, “it isn’t polite,” as the story goes in this silly twist on the familiar old lady and fly story. What else will this dragon swallow? You’ll love this hilarious cumulative dragon story with clever, colorful illustrations.

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang, illustrated by Charlene Chua
The kids at Amy’s school draw western-looking dragons, and when they say her (Eastern-looking), dragon doesn’t look like a dragon. At home, her grandmother tells her stories about dragons that bring down the rain, fly without wings, and are wise and just. Not only that, she lets Amy and her friends play with a dragon costume of an Eastern dragon.

The Knight and the Dragon by Tomie dePaola 
Once upon a time, there was a knight who had never fought a dragon; and a dragon who had never fought a night. They both do some research…What will they do when they finally meet? (Maybe open a restaurant?)

Don’t Wake the Dragon by Bianca Schulze, illustrated by Samara Hardy 
Engage the readers on your lap with a playful, interactive romp around the castle. But be very careful…You don’t want to wake the dragon. This charming adventure with captivating illustrations will capture young readers’ attention from beginning to end.

Who Loves the Dragon? by Bianca Schulze, illustrated by Samara Hardy
Dragon is unhappy because her friends can’t go with her to the Friendship Festival. Cheer her up with kind words! What else can you do to help Dragon feel better? This sweet interactive story both entertains and engages readers as well as gives children helpful strategies for when they feel sad. What’s more, it ends with a very happy ending!

dragon books

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
This picture book guarantees laughs when you read about these taco-loving dragons. Because when there are tacos, there is also salsa… spicy salsa. Watch out!

Rosie the Dragon and Charlie Say Good Night by Lauren H. Kerstein, illustrated by Nate Wragg
Charlie helps his dragon Rosie get ready for bed. But it’s not easy. Because Rosie doesn’t want to go to bed yet ad she can’t find her favorite stuffed animal. Luckily, Charlie is prepared for the many challenges of bedtime with a dragon. From too many bubbles to overheating in her footie pajamas to a loud thunderstorm, Charlie solves all the bedtime issues for his dragon so they can get to sleep.

Franklin’s Flying Bookshop by Jen Campbell, illustrated by Katie Harnett
Franklin the dragon scares everyone he meets until he meets Luna, a girl who loves books and stories just as much as he. Together they decide to open a flying bookshop on Franklin’s back. They show people the wonder of stories as well as not being afraid of Franklin.

Dragon’s Extraordinary Egg by Debi Gliori
Bib’s mommy (a penguin) tells him a wonderful (true) bedtime story about a dragon who wanted an egg. One day that dragon found an egg that needed a mommy. The dragon mommy loved her new baby who was covered in feathers. And then one day, a volcano made that special penguin baby slide into the water, where she discovered an egg of her own — Bib’s egg, a dragon egg. 

Ace Dragon Ltd. by Russel Hoban, illustrated by Quentin Blake
One ordinary day, John meets a dragon — apparently, a limited dragon who can do many things but not everything. They have a wonderful day — fighting and flying and turning straw into gold. When it’s dinnertime, John tells Ace that he’s not so limited, and we know this is the start of a wonderful friendship.

Me and My Dragon by David Biedrzycki
This little boy has a plan for his perfect pet dragon! In fact, he knows how to pick out the best dragon, what to feed him, and what to do if his dragon is naughty. ADORABLE.

Do Not Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman, illustrated by Andy Elkerton
Dragons are rude, they set things on fire, and they break things. Frankly, there are a lot of reasons why you shouldn’t bring your dragon to the library. So, why not borrow books for your dragon to enjoy at home? Excellent rules for dragon owners!

The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty and the Beast Tale by Laurence Yep, illustrated by Kam Mak
With similarities to the French Beauty and the Beast story, this a unique Chinese fairy tale about a brave daughter who tries to save her father from a dragon who is really a prince.

Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light
A fun-filled search for the boy’s lost dragon will keep you counting and exploring downtown and uptown. (Or is he really lost?) I love the fantastic black-and-white illustrations and the pop of color on each page.

The Forgetful Knight by Michelle Robinson and Fred Blunt
Kids will crack up as they try to guess what the Forgetful Knight tries to remember what he’s doing — oh, yeah, he’s seeking the dragon who swallowed his best friend. When he catches up with that mean dragon, the knight gives the dragon a good telling off for eating so many people’s pets. (That’ll teach him!)

Long Goes to Dragon School by Helen H. Wu, illustrated by Mae Besom
This fantasy story shows the importance of being yourself. Long is attending Dragon School and his fire-breathing classmates cook with their fire. But there’s a problem. Long is a water dragon– and doesn’t have fire…no matter how hard he tries. He finally admits to his teacher that he is different, and that’s when he discovers his own path.

How to Light Your Dragon by Fred Benaglia, illustrated by Didier Levy
Goofy directions explain to kids how to reignite your dragon’s missing flame. For example, maybe if you tickle your dragon, he will spark? Or maybe if you play cards, then cheat, you’ll make him angry, and he’ll explode? The narrator continues offering ideas but nothing works until you kiss your dragon on the nose. Because love is the answer. Bold, bright, crazy colors make this sweet story visually appealing.

dragon books

Gondra’s Treasure by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhard
This dragon family shows that even with differences (one parent is from the East, and one is from the West), they love each other, and their greatest treasure is their child. Both parents want Gondra to have their traits (magic vs. wings, scale color, fire vs. mist). Their discussions (read: mild bickering) introduces readers to the differences between eastern and western dragons.

Do Not Take Your Dragon on a Field Trip by Julie Gassman, illustrated by Andy Elkerton
Kids will love the silly scenarios that might happen if you take your dragon on a field trip. (As one does…) The chaperones will be scared. The dragon will fart on the bus. In general, it will be a disaster.

Chapter Books

Dragons of Ember City: Happy Spark Day by Shane Richardson and Sarah Marino
This is a sweet story of dragon friends with appealing, full-color illustrations that pop off the page! Three young dragon friends feel excited to get their magical spark at Spark Day. Afterward, there’s a big celebration, but two of the dragons get carried away with their fun and break the special disco ball. Three of them work together to fix it using all their Sparks, and their mayor predicts they’ll do great things with their magical powers.

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Geneva B
FANTASY
Jax is a young boy staying with an irascible old lady named Ma who helps magical animals travel between worlds. In this case, three dragons. She accidentally travels back in time instead of to the world of magic, and gets stuck there. Now it’s up to Jax to rescue Ma and deliver the dragons to where they belong. But one of the dragons is missing!

Dragon Masters by Tracey West, illustrated Graham Howells 
The young children in this illustrated series are each paired with an elemental dragon (fire, water, wind, earth) in order to save the kingdom from peril. Kids (and adults like me) can’t get enough of these dragon books!

Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Unicorn Training (book 2) by Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce 
Even more fun than the first book, Pip must help neurotic Regent Maximus survive the unicorn competition at the Triple Trident, a magical creature fair and competition. Filled with fun facts about unusual creatures, her good friend, Tomas, and a mysterious unicorn tail chopper-offer, this is an entertaining page-turner.

Kitty and Dragon by Meika Hashimoto, illustrated by Gillian Reid
In three sweet friendship stories, meet Kitty and her new friend, Dragon, who live together in a cave. Buy the book and/or read the darling stories on the popular Epic website.

dragon books

Warren and Dragon: 100 Friends by Ariel Bernstein
Clearly, this kid has a big imagination because his best friend is a dragon who talks to Warren in real life. (Other people think the dragon is stuffed.) And their conversations are very funny! When Warren’s family moves, his twin sister makes friends easily, which she rubs in Warren’s face. Warren struggles to make friends with anyone besides his dragon. Until he sees that he does have another friend — if only he can be open to the possibilities.

Dragon Girls: Azmina the Gold Glitter Dragon by Maddy Mara
Three girls learn that they’re Glitter Dragon Girls and with magic, teamwork, and turning into dragons, they must protect the forest from the Shadow Sprites. Together, they embark on a quest like no other — in their dragon forms. They must problem solve and figure out how to work together. A solid start in a new series.

The Dragon’s Hoard Stories from the Viking Sagas by Lari Don, illustrated by Cate James
Although it looks like a picture book, this is more of a nonfiction book of stories and occasional pictures. They’re good dragon stories and quite unique since most of us aren’t familiar with Norse legends. Each story is about four or five pages in length.

Dragons Beware! (The Chronicles of Claudette) by Jorge Aguirre, illustrated by Rafael Rosado 
Claudette is one of my favorite graphic novel heroines (Rapunzel in Rapunzel’s Revenge still holds my #1 spot). Claudette is brave, smart, and kind — all the qualities you need in a hero! This is a must-read adventure with everything you need in a good narrative: an evil wizard, gargoyles, a dragon, a sword, a quest, and good friends!

Dragon Slayer’s Academy by Kate McMullan 
This is a delightfully funny 20-book series about a boy named Wiglaf who attends a fairly terrible school for dragon slayers and is friends with Eric, who is Erica, a princess longing for adventure. The hapless and greedy director sends off his students to kill the dragons and steal their gold. But, in order to kill the dragons, the students must find figure out the dragon’s weakness – in the first book, it’s bad knock-knock jokes that make the dragon explode!

Dragon Kindom of Wrenly: The Coldfire Curse by Jordan Quinn
I’m loving this new dragon book. When Cinder’s father crashes, it’s clear that he’s sick from the dreaded “cold curse.” He asks Cinder to go to the dragon king for help. Cinder flies to the castle of the human king and meets a red dragon named Ruskin, the pet of the king. Cinder and Ruskin travel with their friend Groth to the fairies in order to get the ingredients to cure the curse. A fast-paced and excellent story.

Dragonbreath #1 by Ursula Vernon 
I love these dragon books about Danny Dragonbreath, who is a dragon without any fire or fear. It’s almost hard to remember he’s a dragon because he’s just a kid with school problems (like a research project) and many, many misadventures. It’s hilarious!

The Dragonsitter by Josh Lacey illustrated by Garry Parsons 
Written in increasingly funny (and alarming) letters we learn that Uncle Morton left his pet dragon for Edward and his mom and sister to watch — with no directions!! The dragon poops in their shoes, eats their pet bunny, and causes all kinds of destruction which all are the subjects of Edward’s letters to his nowhere-to-be-found uncle. Finally, Edward hears from his uncle who suggests feeding the dragon chocolate. Will Edward’s mom lose her mind? Will the chocolate work?

The Rain Dragon Rescue (The Imaginary Veterinary) by Suzanne Selfors, illustrated by Dan Santat 
The friends must go into the Imaginary World to help the rain dragon. You’ll learn about different types of dragons as they try to understand what’s happening in a magical world of adventure. I love this book and the entire series — they’re entertaining and fun to read.

Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
This is a classic adventure/fantasy book of stories for beginning readers. The first story is about a boy (now a father retelling the stories to his son) who rescues a dragon held hostage on a wild island. 

Ferno the Fire Dragon (Beast Quest #1) by Adam Blade
This is a short, early chapter book about a young boy, Tom, who gets to go on a quest just like his father before him. Tom quest is to free the dragon from the enchanted collar which is making him destroy the kingdom. It’s a decent story –short, adventurous, and features a kid-hero. What could be better than that!?

Geronimo Stilton and the Kingdom of Fantasy #4: The Dragon Prophecy by Geronimo Stilton
It’s the last dragon egg EVER, and Geronimo and his friends must protect it.

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
This is a simple but charming story of a boy guided to a secret (disappearing) store to buy and care for a dragon egg. Jeremy and his friend care for the baby until it grows so big that it must cross to his homeworld.

Middle Grade Dragon Books

How To Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell
You’ve seen the movie but have you read these hilarious dragon books? Hiccup picks out a scrawny baby dragon from the dragon nursery but not only is the dragon not hero material, neither is Hiccup. Everything goes wrong — except when it doesn’t. Hiccup discovers that he might be braver than he thought. 

Dragon Slippers trilogy by Jessica Day George 
Young and brave Creel wants to own a seamstress shop. In her pursuit of this dream, she encounters and befriends dragons which will change her life. Especially when she’s given a pair of magical dragon slippers that helps her speak to (and control) her most esteemed dragon friend. While Creel uses the slippers responsibly, they’re stolen by someone who intends to force the dragons into war…Can Creel help her dragon friends?

Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland series
My daughter LOVES the Wings of Fire dragon books. A group of dragonets leave their protectors’ safety and are captured by a vengeful faction of dragons. The dragonets might just be the long-awaited dragonets of the prophecy that will end the dragon wars for good. Or they might not. One thing’s for sure: when the dragonets are captured, things don’t look good for their survival! (Now in graphic novel format!) Also read: Wings of Fire Read Alikes

middle grade dragon books The Dragon with a Chocolate HEart

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis 
After a food mage turns Aventurine, a dragon, into a human using a magical chocolate drink, she develops a passion for chocolate. Unrecognized by her dragon clan, Aventurine travels to the nearest city to apprentice herself to a chocolate shop. She’s a brave, adventurous girl who makes her chocolate dreams come true with help from a new friend and kind employers. Will she be as brave when her dragon family attacks the town? Enjoyable from the first page, this fantasy book about dragons is on of my favorites. 

The Princess Who Flew with Dragons by Stephanie Burgis
Sofia is an impulsive, quick-tempered younger sister and princess, who hates being a princess; she would rather study philosophy. When her sister makes Sofia take a diplomatic trip, it forces Sofia to see her privilege and opens her eyes to new experiences and friends. Then when the royals are kidnapped by the ice giants, Sofia embarks on a quest to save them along with her dragon friend and a kobold not-really-friend. 

Ember and the Ice Dragons by Heather Fawcett
Ember is a fire dragon whose adoptive father spelled her to look like a girl for her safety. When she keeps bursting into flame, she’s sent to Antarctica to live with her aunt. There, she decides to sabotage an ice dragon hunt, makes her first real friends, and changes the dragons’ destiny. If you like dragon books, you’ll enjoy this magical adventure.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede 
We read this dragon book TWICE for a bedtime story in addition to the subsequent books in the series, including the newly published FOURTH book, Talking To Dragons! Cimorene is a strong female princess who doesn’t want to be rescued and married off. So she leaves her home and apprentices herself to a dragon. For fun. No rescuing involved, thank you very much. Then she helps save her dragon from the evil wizards. We LOVE and highly recommend these dragon books.

Legends of the Sky by Liz Flanagan
If you like dragons and inspiring orphans who fight against evil — you’ll love this story about a girl who saves a sack of dragon eggs from a strange visitor. Unfortunately, she becomes embroiled in the political ambitions of a maniacal ruler who wants the hatchling dragons for himself.  But it’s Milla and her friends who bond a dragon, not the Duke. But, the teenagers and their dragons are not safe — and if they want to see justice for all the people in Arcosi, they must fight back.

The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
Faryn is a likable, orphaned main character who values kindness and family. After helping defeat a demon in Chinatown she discovers that she’s the prophetic demon-slaying Heaven Breaker and embarks on a quest. But she’s not alone — she journeys with her resentful, angry brother Alex, her ex-friend Moli, and a cursed boy. Together they’ll fight demons, escape capture, and save imprisoned dragons in order to attend the god’s Lunar New Year’s banquet. But instead of finding her missing father at the banquet, she learns of the gods’ plan to wipe out faithless humans. 

The Language of Spells by Garret Weyr, illustrated by Katie Harnett
Grisha is a dragon who spends a few hundred years enchanted as a teapot. Once he’s a dragon again, he meets a lonely girl whose first and only friend is him. Grisha slowly begins to remember that an evil wizard has imprisoned other dragons. He and Maggie decide to find the missing dragons and free them— no matter the cost. And there will be a cost. The ending is HEARTBREAKING but so, so good making this one of my favorite dragon books on this list.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
The other dragons won’t listen to Firedrake, who knows that with the humans encroaching on their home, it’s time to find the mythical home of the dragons. Firedrake embarks on finding this land with a brownie named Sorrell and a human boy named Ben. The pacing of this book is a bit slow but, I think most kids will enjoy the many challenges of the journey and the satisfactory ending.

The Hero and the Crown by Robin Mckinley  (Newbery Winner) 
Mckinley creates an epic heroine that you can’t help but adore. The king’s daughter, Aerin, has never been accepted because of her foreign mother. Aerin sets out to not only help the kingdom but prove herself. With her knowledge of a salve that protects her skin and her horse’s skin, she fights and defeats her first dragons. But before achieving her true destiny, a handsome magician will help her learn enough to save the kingdom from invaders.

Three Tasks for a Dragon by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by P.J. Lynch
In a middle grade novel that feels like high fantasy, our hero, Prince Lir, is tricked by his stepmom and stepbrother, a dark sorcerer, to forfeit his kingdom and embark on a quest to rescue a girl supposedly kidnapped by a dragon. Prince Lir uses his wits to avoid death by solving the dragon’s problems, like mold and a broken wing…and staying alive. When the dragon fails to kill Prince Lir, the evil stepbrother arrives to do it himself. But the girl, Cethlenn, calls the wolfhounds to herself, and they save Lir just before the stepbrother dies, cursing Lir and the dragon and freezing Cethleen. Wonderfully complex language, vivid imagery, and lovely world-building, this book transports readers into a magical world of good versus evil. Will our heroes get a happy ending?

City of Thieves (Battle Dragons) by Alex London
In Drakopolis, gangs of kins clans run the neighborhoods with violence and crime, using dragons to fight each other and work as taxis and cargo carriers. Abel finds it and bonds with the dragon his sister stole but he’s forced to fight in the kin battle. In an exciting plot twist, Abel uses his strengths, his family, and his two 7th grade classmates to fight against ALL the kins to erase his family’s debt once and for all. Cool world-building with fantastic character development — this was a fun read!

New Dragon City by Marci Mancusi
After dragons attacked world, humans must survive hidden, avoiding the skies filled with human-eating dragons. When Noah meets a young dragon, he’s surprised to feels compassion for her. The dragon Asha, in turn, saves his life. This goes against everything his father preaches about killing all dragons. It goes against Asha’s herd’s hatred of humans, also. Can Noah and Asha change the world with their new bond?

Dragon of Avalon Book 6 (Merlin) by T.A. Barron
I loved all the young Merlin books, and this continues the series about the only dragon on Avalon named Basil, who must help save Merlin’s life. This isn’t as compelling as the Merlin books because it seems a bit more predictable.

Dragon’s Milk (The Dragon Chronicles) by Susan Fletcherm
When her foster sister is deathly ill, Kaeldra discovers she can talk to dragons. Soon she’s charged with protecting three orphaned baby dragons and delivering them to a haven for dragons. This is an enjoyable dragon keeper story for middle grade readers. 

Drawing Dragons: Learn How to Create Fantastic Fire-Breathing Dragons by Sandra Staple
I want this drawing book. Although, I wonder if beginners like me could follow the step-by-step directions to draw dragons?

Young Adult Books

Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1) by Christopher Paolini 
No dragon round-up is complete without the Eragon fantasy dragons series. Ergon is the only book I loved of the series but it’s still worth reading the entire Inheritance series. This epic fantasy begins with a 15-year-old boy hatches a dragon egg and learns he’s a Dragon Rider. Good vs. evil, treachery, wisdom, growing up, wars, trolls and elves, this fantasy book has it all.

Dragon’s Keep by Janet Lee Carey
I read this forever ago and don’t remember all the details. However, I enjoyed it immensely. It’s about a princess who has a dragon claw instead of a finger which her mother says she’s supposed to hide. But when a dragon kidnaps her, she discovers she has dragon blood and is meant to fulfill a prophecy to bring peace to the humans and dragons.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 
I loved, loved, loved this book. It’s about a girl named Seraphina who lives at court as a music teacher assistant and performer. She must hide that she’s part-dragon (scales and all) in a world that is mistrustful of dragons. Neither human nor dragon can be categorized into good or bad, both races do horrible things as well as show kindness to others. Beautifully written with evocative imagery, this is a wonderful dragon story filled with mystery, danger, secrets, and friendship.

Aranya Shapeshifter Dragons Book 1 by Marc Secchia
Secchia creates the most marvelous, mesmerizing world of island kingdoms who have been bested by an evil conquering society. Our heroine is a captured princess who discovers she’s a dragon only when thrown off a mountain towner to her death. She uses her new shape to fight back against the Sklakia aggressors. I will be continuing with the rest of the dragon books in the series! (Free with Kindle Unlimited)

Dragonsdawn Dragons of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
These dragon books are classic high fantasy dragon epics. You’ll find both science-fiction and fantasy since it takes place on another planet with dragons.

Chased by Fire (Cloud Warrior Saga) by DK Holmberg
The first book, which I really loved, didn’t have a dragon in it but the cover has an image of a dragon on all the books so I think it’s one of the fire creatures that appear in this first book and more in the subsequent books. It’s about a world of magic, elemental magic in particular, where the border protecting the country from evil isn’t working. It’s a great adventure and very interesting. (Free on Kindle Unlimited)

What are your favorite dragon books?

( Anyone else love the villain dragon character Smog in Tolkien’s middle earth saga, The Hobbit?)

Ready for a big list of fantastical, magical dragon books for kids who love dragons?

KEEP READING

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2 Comments

  1. Great list! For another story of a gentle dragon, we love Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon by Jules Bass (good for ages 5 – 9).