Encyclopedia Mythologica: Dragons and Monsters Pop-Up by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda

Encyclopedia Mythologica: Dragons and Monsters Pop-Up by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda has dropped in price to $16.79. I've already bought a copy for one gift and another for myself. I got to see Reinhart's presentation for the book at the Southern Festival of Books and it doesn't disappoint.

Book description:

Lurking behind this intriguing cover, a Kraken grapples with a ship on the high seas; dragons from Eastern and Western traditions spring to life; and a Medusa, snake-hair twisting and hissing, turns the reader to stone. Deeper inside, an ancient, decrepit vampire rises from his coffin; a lycanthrope is caught in the light of the full moon and transforms; and Bigfoot hides behind a tree, ducking his human pursuer. Master paper engineers Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda unfold the legends and lore of cultures around the world to reveal these stunning creatures and many more. Pop-up fans and fantasy lovers will be equally enthralled by the dynamic creatures depicted in this astonishing volume, the climax of the Encyclopedia Mythologica trilogy.

The other two books, less elaborate but still great, are also deeply discounted:

How To Slay a Dragon by Bill Allen

How To Slay a Dragon by Bill Allen is $.99 in ebook today, the last day of the Big Deal sale on many ebooks on Amazon. Some other children's titles in the sale are at the bottom of this post, images and links only, most are $.99 or $1.99 and by some top authors in the field, so page down to see.

Book description for How To Slay a Dragon:

Greg Hart can't slay a dragon. He'd be lucky to win a fight against one of the smaller girls at school.His only real skill is that he can run faster than any other twelve-year-old boy in his class, a necessity, since that's who he's usually running from. Oh, it's not like he's never been the hero at the center of an adventure. It's just the kind of adventures he's been involved with have always been the made-up kind he's written about in his journal.Now the magicians of Myrth have yanked Greg into a strange new world, where the monsters he must run from are far scarier--and hungrier--than anything he's ever run from before. He tries to tell everyone there's been a mistake. Ruuan is a very large dragon, while Greg, on the other hand, is neither large nor a dragon. He's barely much of a boy. Unfortunately, such trivialities could never stop the people of Myrth from believing Greg will rescue King Peter's daughter from Ruuan. After all, Greg has been named in a prophecy, and no prophecy has ever been wrong before.Why, Greg wonders, does he have to be at the heart of the first one that is?

   

   

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

Dragon Slippersby Jessica Day George is another Big Deal book that I already owned in paper but snatched up in ebook for $1.99. I highly recommend this one. If you look at the reviews it is one of the rare ones not to have a single 1 or 2 star reader review with over 50 posted. Besides, we love Jessica Day George around here at SurLaLune since she is of the fairy tale novelist line with other books like Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow and Princess of Glass and Princess of the Midnight Ball. Her new series launching this fall with Tuesdays at the Castle sounds quite charming. For me she is a great inheritor of the Robin McKinley and Patricia Wrede tradition.

   

So here's a book description for Dragon Slippers while it is at a great introductory price:

Creel, the heroine of Dragon Slippers is hardly a damsel-in-distress. After her aunt totes her out to the local dragon in desperation (with the hope that the local prince will rescue her from certain death and marry her), Creel refuses the haughty prince and finds friendship with the dragons, who set her on a journey to the center of the kingdom with a pretty pair of what only seem to be ordinary slippers. Along the way we discover Creel’s enormous talent at embroidery, and you can’t help but linger over the rich descriptions of her lovely tapestry-like gowns, which quickly make her the most sought-after dressmaker in the kingdom. But soon enough those mysterious slippers begin to wreak havoc, and it’s up to Creel to save the kingdom from disaster and defend the dragons from certain doom. Creel’s feisty spirit breathes fiery new life into this epic world at every turn, making this one of the most memorable and fun fantasy debuts to hit shelves since Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart.

Dragon, Dragon: and Other Tales by John Gardner

Dragon, Dragon: and Other Tales by John Gardner is another Big Deal book selling for $1.99 through tomorrow. This one is safe for most ages. In fact, it was selected as the 1975 New York Times Outstanding Book for Children. And, hey, it's John Gardner who knows his way around a fantasy story.

Book description:

John Gardner’s first children’s book takes the traditional fairy tale and turns it on its head. In the title story, a meddlesome dragon meets his match. “The Tailor and the Giant” tells the story of a cowardly man who finally faces his fears. A villainous beast of burden attempts to rid himself of his master in “The Miller’s Mule.” And in “The Last Piece of Light,” a brave young chimney-sweep saves the world from darkness.

Filled with irreverent twists on the classic elements of princes and princesses, witches and wizards, and the magical realms that they inhabit, Dragon, Dragon is a collection of fun and fantastic tales to be cherished by readers of all ages.

Now that one just sounded wonderful to me. If I enjoy it, I will have to get a paper copy for my niece who adores all things dragon.