Getting into Fantasy

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I love fantasy!

It is by far my favorite genre to read personally and by no coincidence. My father read The Hobbit aloud to me when I was about five years old and I still remember the feeling of my imagination being sparked by the scale of the adventure that Bilbo and the dwarves go on from Hobbiton to the Lonely Mountain and back. 


I also loved fairy tales as a child, no doubt spurred on by the resurgence of the excellent Disney movies of the '90s. I always had trouble deciding if I wanted to dress up as Belle, Ariel or Jasmine. To me, fairytales and fantasy go hand in hand. It’s likely quite obvious by now why I picked the name The Book Dragon for my blog.


So when I started reading some short chapter books aloud to my daughter a few years ago, I gravitated towards the fairy tales and fantasy stories I had loved as a child. We are currently about half way through The Hobbit, a lovely new illustrated version with pictures by Jemima Catlin. I’ve read her the first few Harry Potter books and a couple of the stories from Narnia and she’s loved them all.


I stumbled across a wonderful series called The Kingdom of Wrenly by Jordan Quinn a few years ago as well. While not as grand as JRR Tolkein or CS Lewis, these short beginning chapter books are a lovely introduction to fantasy stories. They follow Prince Lucas and his friend Clara on their adventures around Wrenly with the many creatures who live there. Lucas acquires a rare red dragon for a pet and together the three companions go on many heroic adventures throughout their lands. The stories are not overly formulaic, which is great with a longer series such as this one. With pictures throughout and short chapters, the series holds the attention of young readers either reading on their own, or being read to at bedtime.


Having loved that series so much, I’ve been on the hunt for similar titles and I’m happy to share some of my finds with my readers, perfect for beginning or reluctant readers who would love to dive into some fantasy.


Princess in Black by Shannon Hale

Never Girls by Kiki Thorpe

Hamster Magic by Lynne Jonell

Snow Sisters by Astrid Foss

Emma and the Blue Genie by Cornelia Funke

Fabled Stables by Jonathan Auxier

Moongobble and Me by Bruce Coville

Once upon a fairy tale by Anna Staniszewski



 







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