Saint George and the Dragon (book) facts for kids
Saint George and the Dragon
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| Author | Margaret Hodges |
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| Illustrator | Trina Schart Hyman |
| Country | United States |
| Genre | Children's picture book |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
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Publication date
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August 23, 1984 |
| Pages | 32 |
| ISBN | 978-0-316-36789-9 |
| OCLC | 10046624 |
| 398.2 19 | |
| LC Class | PZ8.1.H69 Sai 1984 |
Saint George and the Dragon is a book written by Margaret Hodges and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Released by Little, Brown, it was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1985. The text is adapted from Edmund Spenser's epic poem The Faerie Queene.
Contents
Description
Saint George and The Dragon is a small book measuring 9 x 0.1 x 10.1 inches, weighing 5.6 ounces, and is 32 pages long.
Plot
This story begins with a nameless knight riding around the plain who has never been to battle. Despite this the Queene of Faeries sends him to fight a dragon who has been terrorizing their land. He travels with Una the princess of the land. On his way to the dragon the knight meets an old hermit on top of a hill who explains to him his English heritage and tells him his name is George. George meets the dragon laying down as if it was a hill itself. The dragon sees his sword and prepares for battle. The Dragon fells our hero twice, but each time he rises up stronger. After a hard-fought third battle George eventually emerges triumphant and slays the dragon. The king, promising Una to whomever slays the dragon, fulfills his promise and marries George and Una. Although all is well in the land George still fights other battles for the Queene of Faeries and through these battles George becomes Saint George.
Characters
- George - Red cross knight hired by the queen of Faeries to defeat the dragon.
- Queen of Faeries - Sends George to fight the dragon.
- Una - The Princess of the land who embarks on the mission with George.
- Hermit - Meets George on top of a hill and informs him that his name is George.
- Dragon - Monster who makes life hard for the people of the land until it gets slain by George.
- Queen - Una's mother.
- King - Promises his daughter Una to whomever slays the dragon.
- Donkey - Una rides alongside George on top of the donkey
- Dwarf - Tasked with carrying the food.
Themes
Revelation 12:9 in the Bible describes a great dragon who managed to deceive the whole world and was cast out. The dragon in the story symbolizes the Devil and how the power of Christ is what was necessary to put it away once and for all. In the story, George comes across a town of pagans who have been giving offerings to the dragon. He slays the dragon and the people of the town abandon their paganism and adopt Christianity. The Red Cross on his armor is meant to invoke Biblical symbolism in the mind of the readers.
