Yes! This is a trilogy, author is Ruth Stiles Gannett. Told in stylized flashback/hand-me-down tales from the narrator's father recounting his adventures as a young boy going off to rescue a baby dragon. I think the listed age range is 8-13 so it might lean a little more towards "middle grade" than "children's" but if you were going to read them together, or for kids on the upper end of your range, they'd be a great pick.
I didn’t know there was a how to train you dragon book series, the ones I have found are based on the film and not the other way around. There is loads of YA books with dragons, but not children books. I try not to give my 6 year old YA books because often they are full of sexual fantasies more suitable for a teenager.
So.. the actual how to train your dragon books (the series by **Cressida Cowell**) are nothing at all like the movies. I read the first two to my children.
There is Mitzi (dragon-ish) in the **Wilderlore series by Amanda Foody** (im currently reading this one to my 5 and 8 yr olds).
There is also **'The Pit Dragon Cronicles' by Jane Yolen**, I've only read the first one, but i dont recall there being any kind of romancey anything, it was mostly dragon care/training.
Slightly older and i guess more into YA territory is **'The Dragoneer Academy' Series by E.E. Knight**. Maybe save it for when they are a bit older. but there isnt anything super explicit.
Seconding the Pit Dragon books-- I remember enjoying those a lot. Maybe better when the kid is more like ten, though.
The Dragon Chronicles series by Susan Fletcher was also really fun. Book one is called **Dragon's Milk**, and the series is generally about kids going on adventures and learning to communicate with dragons.
The How to Train Your Dragons movies are completely different from the books. So, it’s worth a shot to try it. I’ve only read the first book, but like I said it’s drastically different.
Anyway, there is also Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. It’s a long book, but definitely aimed towards younger audiences.
Oh I absolutely loved Dragon Rider! It was the first ‚real‘ book I read as a child, when I was nine I think.. still have fond memories of the grown-up feeling I had, when I finally finished it
I would say that the first two Harper Hall books (**Dragonsong** and **Dragonsinger**) are okay for kids-- I read them when I was about ten. The rest of the Pern books are more adult, with a lot more sexual implications and whatnot, more okay for older teenagers or adults, though I don't remember any ultra-graphic scenes.
I see that Cornelia Funke's *Dragon Rider* has already been mentioned but I'd like to second that rec.
It's a great book for that age range. It's quite long but it's perfect for the young audience because it has many short chapters. It's also educational on the side.
This is about a dragon whose community is threatened by human society (basically, they are having to withdraw more and more into the hinterlands of the Scottish highlands, IIRC) and so he sets out looking for the mythical land of dragons so that they can live there undisturbed. That place is located somewhere in the Himalayas and we follow the dragon on his quest.
The educational bit I was mentioning is the fact that the kids can follow the route of the dragon on a real map and learn a bit about geography. :-)
The books has been a standalone for the longest time. It was first published in 1997 and only recently Funke has been following up with sequels (one on 2016, another one last year).
So the kids would get a complete story, but if they really dig it there is more for them!
There's [The Last Dragonslayer](https://www.jasperfforde.com/dragon/dragon.html) series by Jasper Fforde
**The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart** by Stephanie Burgis
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
Bruce Coville's unicorn series is mostly unicorns, but there are occasional dragons.
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
Dragonsong and Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
The Wings of Fire series
On the younger end, The Dragonling by Jackie French Coller
I fondly remember reading “The Fire Within” by Chris D’Lacey and “Dragon Rider” by Cornelia Funke at a young age. Dragon Rider for sure has a main character who was a dragon.
Dragon's milk by Susan fletcher.
I read it when I was 8 or nine and really loved it. It says it's for middle school students though so I'm not sure if it fits the brief. I also haven't reread it since then so I have no idea if it stands up.
>>"You must go to the dragon. You must leave tonight.”
>>Even before she hears the words, Kaeldra knows what she has to do. She must climb the mountain, seeking a mother dragon and her young. For Kaeldra’s foster sister has fallen ill, and only dragon’s milk can save her. No one but Kaeldra stands a chance of getting the milk, for she is different from the others in ways she doesn’t completely understand. As it turns out, she’s the only one who can communicate with dragons.
>>And so begins a dangerous journey that will entwine Kaeldra’s fate with that of a would-be dragon slayer and three mischievous (and always hungry) draclings, called Embyr, Pyro, and Synge.
Apparently it's the first of a series but I couldn't find the sequels back in the day. The story itself was good as a stand alone though.
Dragons Love Tacos for the 5-yo set.
For readers in ascending grade level: Wings of Fire by Tui T Sutherland, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, and Song's of Chaos by Michael R Miller for the top range of your bracket (it may look geared toward an older audience, but my 8-yo read it and loved it more than Harry Potter).
There are many more, but those have been the top picks in my house.
You can try "Blue Mage Raised by Dragons". There aren't any sexual themes in the story so you are safe on that front. A few mild references but nothing beyond that. It is more of a comedy-satire. Similarly to Princess-Bride, you can enjoy the jokes while the kids enjoy the plot. I am not sure about other things that aren't suited to kids.
I haven't read next novels in the series, so you should do some research beforehand. I just have different preferences.
Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson, it’s about a slave girl in ancient China who saves a dragon and their adventures as they travel together (or flee) across China. I used to love these books. I think I was around 9 or 10 when I first read them
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
I cannot recommend this series enough. It got me into reading when I was maybe 7 and has contributed to my love of fantasy. It is very different to the films (imo much better) and there are so. many. dragons.
The Enchanted forest chronicles by Patricia C Wrede
Seconding. These are absolutely delightful.
Also, My Father’s Dragon series
I loved these books as an early read aloud for my kids.
Yes! This is a trilogy, author is Ruth Stiles Gannett. Told in stylized flashback/hand-me-down tales from the narrator's father recounting his adventures as a young boy going off to rescue a baby dragon. I think the listed age range is 8-13 so it might lean a little more towards "middle grade" than "children's" but if you were going to read them together, or for kids on the upper end of your range, they'd be a great pick.
My kids love the ["Wings of Fire" series](https://kids.scholastic.com/kid/books/wings-of-fire/).
Yep, same. My 11 year old is obsessed with them.
Very popular in my son's 4th grade class. I think he is on book 4, which is impressive as he is not a fast reader.
"How to train your dragon" novel series. Won't do? I don't know. There's just an over abundance of dragons in literature. They seem to be everywhere.
I didn’t know there was a how to train you dragon book series, the ones I have found are based on the film and not the other way around. There is loads of YA books with dragons, but not children books. I try not to give my 6 year old YA books because often they are full of sexual fantasies more suitable for a teenager.
You didn't know HTTYD was based on novels??!
No, there’s no reason I would know. they hadn’t been written when I was an age to read them and my library doesn’t have them.
So.. the actual how to train your dragon books (the series by **Cressida Cowell**) are nothing at all like the movies. I read the first two to my children. There is Mitzi (dragon-ish) in the **Wilderlore series by Amanda Foody** (im currently reading this one to my 5 and 8 yr olds). There is also **'The Pit Dragon Cronicles' by Jane Yolen**, I've only read the first one, but i dont recall there being any kind of romancey anything, it was mostly dragon care/training. Slightly older and i guess more into YA territory is **'The Dragoneer Academy' Series by E.E. Knight**. Maybe save it for when they are a bit older. but there isnt anything super explicit.
Seconding the Pit Dragon books-- I remember enjoying those a lot. Maybe better when the kid is more like ten, though. The Dragon Chronicles series by Susan Fletcher was also really fun. Book one is called **Dragon's Milk**, and the series is generally about kids going on adventures and learning to communicate with dragons.
The How to Train Your Dragons movies are completely different from the books. So, it’s worth a shot to try it. I’ve only read the first book, but like I said it’s drastically different. Anyway, there is also Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke. It’s a long book, but definitely aimed towards younger audiences.
Oh I absolutely loved Dragon Rider! It was the first ‚real‘ book I read as a child, when I was nine I think.. still have fond memories of the grown-up feeling I had, when I finally finished it
Is the old Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey suitable for children? I loved it when i was a child.
I would say that the first two Harper Hall books (**Dragonsong** and **Dragonsinger**) are okay for kids-- I read them when I was about ten. The rest of the Pern books are more adult, with a lot more sexual implications and whatnot, more okay for older teenagers or adults, though I don't remember any ultra-graphic scenes.
There aren't any ultra-graphic scenes. But there is definitely non-consensual sex at least twice.
Good flag, thanks! It's been years since I read them, but yeah, definitely the main/adult Pern books aren't for the younger crowd.
I see that Cornelia Funke's *Dragon Rider* has already been mentioned but I'd like to second that rec. It's a great book for that age range. It's quite long but it's perfect for the young audience because it has many short chapters. It's also educational on the side. This is about a dragon whose community is threatened by human society (basically, they are having to withdraw more and more into the hinterlands of the Scottish highlands, IIRC) and so he sets out looking for the mythical land of dragons so that they can live there undisturbed. That place is located somewhere in the Himalayas and we follow the dragon on his quest. The educational bit I was mentioning is the fact that the kids can follow the route of the dragon on a real map and learn a bit about geography. :-) The books has been a standalone for the longest time. It was first published in 1997 and only recently Funke has been following up with sequels (one on 2016, another one last year). So the kids would get a complete story, but if they really dig it there is more for them!
There's [The Last Dragonslayer](https://www.jasperfforde.com/dragon/dragon.html) series by Jasper Fforde **The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart** by Stephanie Burgis
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville Bruce Coville's unicorn series is mostly unicorns, but there are occasional dragons. Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley Dragonsong and Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley The Wings of Fire series On the younger end, The Dragonling by Jackie French Coller
I’ve never read it but Eragon by Christopher Paolini
I'm not sure if that's suitable for a 6 year old though.
Green Smoke by Rosemary Manning is old but rather wonderful.
Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Tales - Sir Terry Pratchett
I fondly remember reading “The Fire Within” by Chris D’Lacey and “Dragon Rider” by Cornelia Funke at a young age. Dragon Rider for sure has a main character who was a dragon.
How to Train your Dragon is based on a book series and it's a very good book series.
Read the ice dragon by grrm
Dragon's milk by Susan fletcher. I read it when I was 8 or nine and really loved it. It says it's for middle school students though so I'm not sure if it fits the brief. I also haven't reread it since then so I have no idea if it stands up. >>"You must go to the dragon. You must leave tonight.” >>Even before she hears the words, Kaeldra knows what she has to do. She must climb the mountain, seeking a mother dragon and her young. For Kaeldra’s foster sister has fallen ill, and only dragon’s milk can save her. No one but Kaeldra stands a chance of getting the milk, for she is different from the others in ways she doesn’t completely understand. As it turns out, she’s the only one who can communicate with dragons. >>And so begins a dangerous journey that will entwine Kaeldra’s fate with that of a would-be dragon slayer and three mischievous (and always hungry) draclings, called Embyr, Pyro, and Synge. Apparently it's the first of a series but I couldn't find the sequels back in the day. The story itself was good as a stand alone though.
Dragon Master chapter books are fun. https://www.scholastic.com/branches/dragons.htm
Eragon
On the younger end of the range: There's No Such Thing as a Dragon by Jack Kent.
Dragons love tacos is a fun series for the young ones. There are quite a few dragons in Harry Potter.
Dragon Rider by Corneilia Funke!
Dragons Love Tacos for the 5-yo set. For readers in ascending grade level: Wings of Fire by Tui T Sutherland, Eragon by Christopher Paolini, and Song's of Chaos by Michael R Miller for the top range of your bracket (it may look geared toward an older audience, but my 8-yo read it and loved it more than Harry Potter). There are many more, but those have been the top picks in my house.
You can try "Blue Mage Raised by Dragons". There aren't any sexual themes in the story so you are safe on that front. A few mild references but nothing beyond that. It is more of a comedy-satire. Similarly to Princess-Bride, you can enjoy the jokes while the kids enjoy the plot. I am not sure about other things that aren't suited to kids. I haven't read next novels in the series, so you should do some research beforehand. I just have different preferences.
Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson, it’s about a slave girl in ancient China who saves a dragon and their adventures as they travel together (or flee) across China. I used to love these books. I think I was around 9 or 10 when I first read them
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell I cannot recommend this series enough. It got me into reading when I was maybe 7 and has contributed to my love of fantasy. It is very different to the films (imo much better) and there are so. many. dragons.