✦A Chinese dragon legend retold for young readers
The Dragon After His Winter Sleep
A scholar’s unexpected visitor grows from a tiny glow into a dragon of the storm.
A story to read together
The Dragon After His Winter Sleep
Take your time. Let the story unfold.
On a gloomy, rainy day, a scholar sat reading upstairs. Something tiny and bright crawled onto his table. It glimmered like a firefly, but left dark, curling marks wherever it went.
An unusual reader
The little creature wound itself around his book. The pages darkened beneath it. Looking closely at this strange visitor, the scholar began to suspect that it might be a dragon.
A careful welcome
He carried the creature outside on the book and waited. It stayed still. Then he wondered whether he had shown his visitor enough respect.
A remarkable departure
The scholar went back indoors, put on ceremonial robes, and bowed. He carried the book outside again. This time the creature lifted its head, stretched, and flashed into the air.
Tracks to the bookshelf
The dragon grew astonishingly large. Thunder sounded as it sailed away. The scholar returned indoors and followed the little dark tracks. They led back to his chest of books, where the visitor had been hidden.
The end
After the final page
There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine.
What clues make the scholar suspect a dragon?
What does he do differently the second time?
What surprising visitor would you invent for a bookshelf?
Make something: Fold a paper into four panels. Draw the glow, the book, the bow, and the dragon’s departure. Retell the changes in order, using one describing word for each panel.
