Learning A–Z level Z1 Multi-level N/A

Grade 5+ Word Count 3,617

The
The
eluctant
Lexile 1000L Fiction • Classic

Refer to the Focus Question on page 2 of this title to guide

discussion and support additional learning connected to the text.
Reluctant
Two children set out in the snow and follow the tracks
of what they believe to be a dragon. They meet a man
Dragon
Dragon
Part 1
who knows all about the beasts of the world, and he
begins to tell them the story of a young boy and a poetry-
loving dragon. The dragon hates fighting and longs to
live peacefully in his cave. However, the boy warns him
that the villagers might not be so willing to let a dragon
live nearby. This book is part 1 of the Classic Novel The
Reluctant Dragon.

Photo Credits:
Title page: © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Getty Images; page 3: © Victoria Ryabinina/iStock/Thinkstock

Adapted from
the Writings of Kenneth Grahame
For more great books visit Illustrated by Juan Manuel Moreno
www.learninga-z.com
© Learning A–Z, all rights reserved.
 The
eluctant
Focus Question
How are the boy and the dragon alike?

Dragon
How are they different?

Part 1

Words to Know
Kenneth Grahame
agitation monotonous
(1859–1932) armistice placidly
Kenneth Grahame was bashfully ramping
Scottish, but he spent complacently scouring
most of his life in England. eerie skirmishing
He worked as a banker intrude sonnets
and wrote stories, poems,
and essays in his free time.
The Reluctant Dragon, first Connections
published in 1898, is his
Writing
most famous short story.
How does the author develop humor in this story?
What effect does the humor have on the plot and
characterization? Use evidence from the text to
support your answer.
Art
Adapted from the Writings of Kenneth Grahame Draw a picture of the dragon on top of the hill using the
Illustrated by Juan Manuel Moreno description on page 14. Discuss with a partner how the
author uses detailed imagery to help readers visualize
the scene.
 Footprints in the snow have been When dinner-time came we had to be dragged
unfailing provokers of sentiment in by the scruff of our necks. The short armistice
ever since snow was first a white wonder over, the combat was resumed; but presently
in this drab-coloured world of ours. In Charlotte and I, a little weary of contests and of
a poetry-book presented to one of us by missiles that ran shudderingly down inside one’s
an aunt, there was a poem by one Wordsworth clothes, forsook the trampled battle-field of the
in which they stood out strongly with a picture lawn and went exploring the blank virgin spaces
all to themselves, too—but we didn’t think very of the white world that lay beyond.
highly either of the poem or the sentiment.
It stretched away unbroken on every side of us,
Footprints in the sand, now, were quite another this mysterious soft garment under which our
matter, and we grasped Crusoe’s attitude of mind familiar world had so suddenly hidden itself. Faint
much more easily than Wordsworth’s. Excitement imprints showed where a casual bird had alighted,
and mystery, curiosity and suspense—these were but of other traffic there was next to no sign; which
the only sentiments that tracks, whether in sand made these strange tracks all the more puzzling.
or in snow, were able to arouse in us.
We came across them first at the corner of the
We had awakened early that winter morning, shrubbery, and pored over them long, our hands
puzzled at first by the added light that filled the on our knees. Experienced trappers that we knew
room. Then, when the truth at last fully dawned ourselves to be, it was annoying to be brought up
on us and we knew that snow-balling was no suddenly by a beast we could not at once identify.
longer a wistful dream, but a solid certainty
“Don’t you know?” said Charlotte, rather
waiting for us outside, it was a mere brute fight
scornfully. “Thought you knew all the beasts
for the necessary clothes, and the lacing of boots
that ever was.”
seemed a clumsy invention, and the buttoning
of coats an unduly tedious form of fastening, This put me on my mettle, and I hastily rattled
with all that snow going to waste at our very door. off a string of animal names embracing both the
arctic and the tropic zones, but without much real
confidence.

The Reluctant Dragon • Level Z1 3 4

 “No,” said Charlotte, on consideration; “they The traces, too, kept reappearing at intervals—
won’t any of ’em quite do. Seems like something at least Charlotte maintained they did, and as it
lizardy. Did you say a iguanodon? Might be that, was her dragon I left the following of the slot to
p’raps. But that’s not British, and we want a real her and trotted along peacefully, feeling that it
British beast. I think it’s a dragon!” was an expedition anyhow and something was
sure to come out of it.
“’T isn’t half big enough,” I objected.
Charlotte took me across another field or two,
“Well, all dragons must be small to begin
and through a copse, and into a fresh road; and
with,” said Charlotte: “like everything else. P’raps
I began to feel sure it was only her confounded
this is a little dragon who’s got lost. A little dragon
pride that made her go on pretending to see
would be rather nice to have. He might scratch
dragon-tracks instead of owning she was entirely
and spit, but he couldn’t do anything really. Let’s
at fault, like a reasonable person. At last she
track him down!”
dragged me excitedly through a gap in a hedge
So we set off into the wide snow-clad world, of an obviously private character; the waste,
hand in hand, our hearts big with expectation, open world of field and hedge row disappeared,
complacently confident that by a few smudgy and we found ourselves in a garden, well-kept,
traces in the snow we were in a fair way to capture secluded, most undragon-haunted in appearance.
a half-grown specimen of a fabulous beast. We Once inside, I knew where we were. This was the
ran the monster across the paddock and along the garden of my friend the circus-man, though I had
hedge of the next field, and then he took to the never approached it before by a lawless gap, from
road like any tame civilized tax-payer. Here his this unfamiliar side. And here was the circus-man
tracks became blended with and lost among more himself, placidly smoking a pipe as he strolled
ordinary footprints, but imagination and a fixed up and down the walks. I stepped up to him and
idea will do a great deal, and we were sure we asked him politely if he had lately seen a Beast.
knew the direction a dragon would naturally take.
“May I inquire,” he said, with all civility,
“what particular sort of a Beast you may happen
to be looking for?”

The Reluctant Dragon • Level Z1 5 6

 “It’s a lizardy sort of Beast,” I explained. We were always ready for tea at any time,
“Charlotte says it’s a dragon, but she doesn’t really and especially when combined with beasts. There
know much about beasts.” was marmalade, too, and apricot-jam, brought in
expressly for us; and afterwards the beast-book
The circus-man looked round about him
was spread out, and, as the man had truly said,
slowly. “I don’t think,” he said, “that I’ve seen a
it contained every sort of beast that had ever been
dragon in these parts recently. But if I come across
in the world.
one I’ll know it belongs to you, and I’ll have him
taken round to you at once.” The striking of six o’clock set the more prudent
Charlotte nudging me, and we recalled ourselves
“Thank you very much,” said Charlotte, “but
with an effort from Beastland, and reluctantly
don’t trouble about it, please, ’cos p’raps it isn’t a
stood up to go.
dragon after all. Only I thought I saw his little
footprints in the snow, and we followed ’em up, “Here, I’m coming along with you,” said the
and they seemed to lead right in here, but maybe circus-man. “A walk’ll do me good. You needn’t
it’s all a mistake, and thank you all the same.” talk to me unless you like.”

“Oh, no trouble at all,” said the circus-man, Our spirits rose to their wonted level again.
cheerfully. “I should be only too pleased. But of The way had seemed so long, the outside world
course, as you say, it may be a mistake. And it’s so dark and eerie, after the bright warm room and
getting dark, and he seems to have got away for the highly-coloured beast-book. But a walk with
the present, whatever he is. a real Man—why, that was a treat in itself! We set
off briskly, the Man in the middle. Charlotte made
“You’d better come in and have some tea. I’m
herself heard from the other side.
quite alone, and we’ll make a roaring fire, and
I’ve got the biggest Book of Beasts you ever saw. “Now, then,” she said, “tell us a story, please,
It’s got every beast in the world, and all of ’em won’t you?”
coloured; and we’ll try and find your beast in it!”

The Reluctant Dragon • Level Z1 7 8

 The Man sighed heavily and looked about him. as might very well have happened to him, he was
“I knew it,” he groaned. “I knew I should have treated more or less as an equal by his parents,
to tell a story. Oh, why did I leave my pleasant who sensibly thought it a very fair division of
fireside? Well, I will tell you a story. Only let me labour that they should supply the practical
think a minute.” knowledge, and he the book-learning. They knew
that book-learning often came in useful at a pinch,
So he thought a minute, and then he told us
in spite of what their neighbours said. What the
this story.
Boy chiefly dabbled in was natural history and
fairy-tales, and he just took them as they came,
Long ago—might have been hundreds of years in a sandwichy sort of way, without making any
ago—in a cottage half-way between this village distinctions; and really his course of reading
and yonder shoulder of the Downs up there, a strikes one as rather sensible.
shepherd lived with his wife and their little son.
One evening the shepherd, who for some
Now the shepherd spent his days—and at certain
nights past had been disturbed and preoccupied,
times of the year his nights too—up on the wide
came home all of a tremble, and, sitting down at
ocean-bosom of the Downs, with only the sun
the table where his wife and son were peacefully
and the stars and the sheep for company, and the
employed, she with her seam, he in following out
friendly chattering world of men and women far
the adventures of the Giant with no Heart in his
out of sight and hearing. But his little son, when
Body, exclaimed with much agitation:
he wasn’t helping his father, and often when he
was as well, spent much of his time buried in big “It’s all up with me, Maria! Never no more can
volumes that he borrowed from the affable gentry I go up on them there Downs, was it ever so!”
and interested parsons of the country round
“Now don’t you take on like that,” said his
about. And his parents were very fond of him,
wife, who was a very sensible woman: “but tell
and rather proud of him too, though they didn’t
us all about it first, whatever it is as has given you
let on in his hearing, so he was left to go his own
this shake-up, and then me and you and the son
way and read as much as he liked; and instead
here, between us, we ought to be able to get to the
of frequently getting a cuff on the side of the head,
bottom of it!”

The Reluctant Dragon • Level Z1 9 10

 “It began some nights ago,” said the shepherd. “As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker
“You know that cave up there—I never liked it, over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads
somehow, and the sheep never liked it neither, and on a baking windless day in summer. He had
when sheep don’t like a thing there’s generally his chin on his paws, and I should say he was
some reason for it. Well, for some time past there’s meditating about things. Oh, yes, a peaceable sort
been faint noises coming from that cave—noises o’ beast enough, and not ramping or carrying on
like heavy sighings, with grunts mixed up in or doing anything but what was quite right and
them; and sometimes a snoring, far away down— proper. I admit all that. And yet, what am I to do?
real snoring, yet somehow not honest snoring, like Scales, you know, and claws, and a tail for certain,
you and me o’nights, you know!” though I didn’t see that end of him—I ain’t used to
’em, and I don’t hold with ’em, and that’s a fact!”
“I know,” remarked the Boy, quietly.
The Boy, who had apparently been absorbed
“Of course I was terrible frightened,” the
in his book during his father’s recital, now closed
shepherd went on; “yet somehow I couldn’t keep
the volume, yawned, clasped his hands behind
away. So this very evening, before I come down,
his head, and said sleepily:
I took a cast round by the cave, quietly. And
there—O Lord! there I saw him at last, as plain “It’s all right, father. Don’t you worry. It’s only
as I see you!” a dragon.”

“Saw who?” said his wife, beginning to share “Only a dragon?” cried his father. “What do
in her husband’s nervous terror. you mean, sitting there, you and your dragons?
Only a dragon indeed! And what do you know
“Why him, I’m a-telling you!” said the
about it?”
shepherd. “He was sticking half-way out of the
cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the “’Cos it is, and ’cos I do know,” replied the Boy,
evening in a poetical sort of way. He was as big quietly. “Look here, father, you know we’ve each
as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny of us got our line. You know about sheep, and
scales—deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading weather, and things; I know about dragons.
off to a tender sort o’ green below.

The Reluctant Dragon • Level Z1 11 12

 “I always said, you know, that that cave up Next day, after he’d had his tea, the Boy strolled
there was a dragon-cave. I always said it must have up the chalky track that led to the summit of the
belonged to a dragon some time, and ought to Downs; and there, sure enough, he found the
belong to a dragon now, if rules count for anything. dragon, stretched lazily on the sward in front of his
Well, now you tell me it has got a dragon, and so cave. The view from that point was a magnificent
that’s all right. I’m not half as much surprised as one. To the right and left, the bare and billowy
when you told me it hadn’t got a dragon. Rules leagues of Downs; in front, the vale, with its
always come right if you wait quietly. clustered homesteads, its threads of white roads
running through orchards and well-tilled acreage,
“Now, please, just leave this all to me. And I’ll
and, far away, a hint of grey old cities on the
stroll up to-morrow morning—no, in the morning
horizon. A cool breeze played over the surface of
I can’t, I’ve got a whole heap of things to do—well,
the grass and the silver shoulder of a large moon
perhaps in the evening, if I’m quite free, I’ll go up
was showing above distant junipers. No wonder
and have a talk to him, and you’ll find it’ll be all
the dragon seemed in a peaceful and contented
right. Only, please, don’t you go worrying round
mood; indeed, as the Boy approached he could hear
there without me. You don’t understand ’em a bit,
the beast purring with a happy regularity. “Well,
and they’re very sensitive, you know!”
we live and learn!” he said to himself. “None of my
“He’s quite right, father,” said the sensible books ever told me that dragons purred!
mother. “As he says, dragons is his line and not
“Hullo, dragon!” said the Boy, quietly, when
ours. He’s wonderful knowing about book-beasts,
he had got up to him.
as everyone allows. And to tell the truth, I’m not
half happy in my own mind, thinking of that poor The dragon, on hearing the approaching
animal lying alone up there, without a bit o’ hot footsteps, made the beginning of a courteous
supper or anyone to change the news with; and effort to rise. But when he saw it was a Boy, he
maybe we’ll be able to do something for him; and set his eyebrows severely.
if he ain’t quite respectable our Boy’ll find it out
“Now don’t you hit me,” he said; “or bung
quick enough. He’s got a pleasant sort o’ way with
stones, or squirt water, or anything. I won’t have
him that makes everybody tell him everything.”
it, I tell you!”

The Reluctant Dragon • Level Z1 13 14

 “Not goin’ to hit you,” said the Boy wearily, “It’s the sad truth,” the dragon went on, settling
dropping on the grass beside the beast: “and don’t, down between his paws and evidently delighted
for goodness’ sake, keep on saying ‘Don’t;’ I hear to have found a listener at last: “and I fancy that’s
so much of it, and it’s monotonous, and makes me really how I came to be here. You see all the other
tired. I’ve simply looked in to ask you how you fellows were so active and earnest and all that sort
were and all that sort of thing; but if I’m in the of thing—always rampaging, and skirmishing,
way I can easily clear out. I’ve lots of friends, and and scouring the desert sands, and pacing the
no one can say I’m in the habit of shoving myself margin of the sea, and chasing knights all over
in where I’m not wanted!” the place, and devouring damsels, and going
on generally—whereas I liked to get my meals
“No, no, don’t go off in a huff,” said the dragon,
regular and then to prop my back against a bit of
hastily; “fact is, I’m as happy up here as the day’s
rock and snooze a bit, and wake up and think of
long; never without an occupation, dear fellow,
things going on and how they kept going on just
never without an occupation! And yet, between
the same, you know! So when it happened I got
ourselves, it is a trifle dull at times.”
fairly caught.”
The Boy bit off a stalk of grass and chewed
“When what happened, please?” asked the Boy.
it. “Going to make a long stay here?” he asked,
politely. “That’s just what I don’t precisely know,” said
the dragon. “I suppose the earth sneezed, or shook
“Can’t hardly say at present,” replied the
itself, or the bottom dropped out of something.
dragon. “It seems a nice place enough—but I’ve
Anyhow there was a shake and a roar and a
only been here a short time, and one must look
general stramash, and I found myself miles away
about and reflect and consider before settling
underground and wedged in as tight as tight.
down. It’s rather a serious thing, settling down.
Well, thank goodness, my wants are few, and
Besides—now I’m going to tell you something!
at any rate I had peace and quietness and wasn’t
You’d never guess it if you tried ever so—fact is,
always being asked to come along and do
I’m such a confoundedly lazy beggar!”
something. And I’ve got such an active mind—
“You surprise me,” said the Boy, civilly. always occupied, I assure you!

The Reluctant Dragon • Level Z1 15 16

 “But time went on, and there was a certain “I’m awfully pleased to have met you, and
sameness about the life, and at last I began to I’m hoping the other neighbours will be equally
think it would be fun to work my way upstairs agreeable. There was a very nice old gentleman
and see what you other fellows were doing. So up here only last night, but he didn’t seem to want
I scratched and burrowed, and worked this way to intrude.”
and that way and at last I came out through this
“That was my father,” said the boy, “and he is
cave here. And I like the country, and the view,
a nice old gentleman, and I’ll introduce you some
and the people—what I’ve seen of ’em—and on
day if you like.”
the whole I feel inclined to settle down here.”
“Can’t you two come up here and dine or
“What’s your mind always occupied about?”
something to-morrow?” asked the dragon eagerly.
asked the Boy. “That’s what I want to know.”
“Only, of course, if you’ve got nothing better to
The dragon coloured slightly and looked away. do,” he added politely.
Presently he said bashfully:
“Thanks awfully,” said the Boy, “but we don’t
“Did you ever—just for fun—try to make up go out anywhere without my mother, and, to tell
poetry—verses, you know?” you the truth, I’m afraid she mightn’t quite approve
of you. You see there’s no getting over the hard
“’Course I have,” said the Boy. “Heaps of it.
fact that you’re a dragon, is there? And when you
And some of it’s quite good, I feel sure, only there’s
talk of settling down, and the neighbours, and so
no one here cares about it. Mother’s very kind and
on, I can’t help feeling that you don’t quite realize
all that, when I read it to her, and so’s father for
your position. You’re an enemy of the human race,
that matter. But somehow they don’t seem to—”
you see!”
“Exactly,” cried the dragon; “my own case
“Haven’t got an enemy in the world,” said
exactly. They don’t seem to, and you can’t argue
the dragon, cheerfully. “Too lazy to make ’em,
with ’em about it. Now you’ve got culture, you
to begin with. And if I do read other fellows
have, I could tell it on you at once, and I should
my poetry, I’m always ready to listen to theirs!”
just like your candid opinion about some little
things I threw off lightly, when I was down there.

The Reluctant Dragon • Level Z1 17 18

 “Oh, dear!” cried the boy, “I wish you’d try Glossary
and grasp the situation properly. When the other agitation (n.) page 10
people find you out, they’ll come after you with a state of excitement, worry, or disturbance
spears and swords and all sorts of things. You’ll armistice (n.) page 4
have to be exterminated, according to their way a wartime truce
of looking at it! You’re a scourge, and a pest, and
bashfully (adv.) page 17
a baneful monster!” in a shy manner
“Not a word of truth in it,” said the dragon, complacently (adv.) page 5
wagging his head solemnly. “Character’ll bear acting satisfied with oneself or the way things are;
the strictest investigation. And now, there’s showing no desire to change or improve
a little sonnet-thing I was working on when you eerie (adj.) page 8
appeared on the scene—” strange and frightening

“Oh, if you won’t be sensible,” cried the Boy, intrude (v.) page 18
to enter a place uninvited and unwelcome
getting up, “I’m going off home. No, I can’t stop
for sonnets; my mother’s sitting up. I’ll look you monotonous (adj.) page 15
up to-morrow, sometime or other, and do for boringly unchanging or repetitive
goodness’ sake try and realize that you’re a placidly (adv.) page 6
pestilential scourge, or you’ll find yourself in in a calm and peaceful manner
a most awful fix. Good-night!” ramping (v.) page 12
getting up on the hind legs in a threatening pose

scouring (v.) page 16

clearing an area of one’s enemies (old fashioned)

skirmishing (v.) page 16

taking part in a small fight

sonnets (n.) page 19

poems made of fourteen lines, a standard rhyme
scheme, and a set number of syllables in each line

The Reluctant Dragon • Level Z1 19 20