Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
November 5, 2016/in Myths 5-8 Infant/Junior /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 221 November 2016
Reviewer: Jane Churchill
ISBN: 978-1847806819
Price: £14.99
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
Genre: Myths
Age Range: 5-8 Infant/Junior
Length: 64pp
Buy the Book

The Dragon’s Hoard

Author: Lari DonIllustrator: Cate James

This collection of eleven stories is a wonderful introduction to Viking sagas for children.  Lari Don’s retellings strike just the right note for her young audience. It is the anecdotes and wry observations that bring these stories to life.  They demand to be read aloud.   There is everything here from fearsome warriors and feisty women to dragons, monsters and even zombies together with all the excitement, danger and cunning you could want plus a good deal of mischief and humour thrown in.  These tales also show us another more caring and softer side to the Vikings.  I especially like ‘The Beserker’s Baby’ where a fearsome warrior who just can’t help himself beserking finds an abandoned baby to care for which changes his life forever.  And there’s Magnus of Orkney in ‘Hunting Magnus’ who comes to the realisation that he does not want to fight men for no good reason and cleverly works out a way to escape home.

The stories don’t always have happy endings as in ‘The Swan Warrior’ and ‘Tusker Versus the Earl’ but they do show often surprising viewpoints or different angles to these sagas.   Heroes don’t necessarily start off with good or brave intentions as in ‘The Raven Banner’ or ‘The Boy in The Bones’ and Sigurd who although he slays the dragon and claims the gold in ‘The Dragon’s Hoard’ does not live a charmed life afterwards.

Evocative illustrations by Cate James complement the stories.  Her soft and beautiful colour palette brings out the hues of the Northern landscapes perfectly. And they are not without a touch of humour either – the image of Tusker with his long yellow tooth is particularly arresting especially when you know how the Earl of Orkney gets his comeuppance.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2016-11-05 19:55:002021-06-27 18:56:47The Dragon’s Hoard

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue BfK 263 November 2023
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Latest CLPE Reflecting Realities survey shows sustained upward trend in the volume of inclusive literature for children

November 30, 2023

Winners of 2023 SLA Information Book Award

November 23, 2023

Nero Book Awards Announce Inaugural Shortlist

November 21, 2023

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2023 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
Danny McGee Drinks the Sea Super Search Adventure: Where is the Bear?
Scroll to top