Dragon Data & Octopus Dreams

Did you know that reading fiction and nonfiction together is good for brains young and old(er)? The wonder of a fanciful story read alongside a fact-based tale is a perfect pair. Fiction and made-up stories help kids explore with their own imagination, and facts and true stories help kids feel grounded in the real world. Kids need both to grow into big, strong readers!

Not sure how to pair up fiction and nonfiction? Try thinking of a topic your kid enjoys and search that word in the library catalog, using the catalog filters to search both fiction and nonfiction. If there’s a topic that kids enjoy, there’s probably both fiction and nonfiction about it!  If you can’t find one, ask a Children’s Associate or Librarian at your local branch, and they’ll be excited to help you find a pair of books.

Two evergreen topics that pair fiction and nonfiction well are dragons and octopuses or octopi (both are acceptable), so here are some pairs to start with for kids and their grownups:

Feeling Dragon-y? Try These!

Like rhinos for unicorns, historians believe humans first saw rare breeds of snakes and created the concept of dragons. Like unicorns, dragons are not real, but the mythology and stories around them are extensive and extraordinary.

For Kids:

Dragon World by Tamara Macfarlane is a great nonfiction introduction to how humans have created and shaped the idea of dragons in different cultures, times and even settings. (Do they live in the sky, in mountainous caves or under the sea? Yes!)

Dragons In a Bag by Zetta Elliott takes a more contemporary fictional look at what happens when a 9-year-old boy helps a next-door neighbor witch ferry three baby dragons to their new home. First in a very popular series, so if your child enjoys this one, there will be more to read.

For Adults:

Grownups can pair fiction and nonfiction, too. And it’s important for kids to see their grownups reading.

The Dragon: Fear and Power by Martin Arnold digs into specific dragon myths, “from the fire-breathing beasts of North American myth and legend to the Book of Revelation’s Great Red Dragon of Hell.” What shared meaning do all of these myths have? What is the relationship between dragons in story to the power of nature – or a recognition of our own mortality? A philosophical treat for those who like to wonder what deep needs in human psyches that dragons might fulfill.

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Regan Barnhill

There are approximately a million (and two) novels featuring dragons, but this one has the distinct honor of being written by a Newbery Award-winning author AND by drawing both accolades and eyerolls from different folks in my (Laura’s) personal book group. It’s a feminist fable that posits an alternative history: In 1955, there was a Great Dragoning, when women became dragons, leaving behind their small worlds and families. Even those in my book group who didn’t care for the overall work did agree that it was an interesting idea with some well-written scenes.

What About Octopi? Try These!

For Kids:

Also an Octopus by Maggie Tokuda-Hall; illustrated by Benji Davies

How do you write a story with wild characters? This book explores how you create your own imaginative story.

Inky’s Amazing Escape: How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home written by Sy Montgomery; illustrated by Amy Schimler-Safford

This book is a true story about an escaping octopus: How did that octopus make that escape?!

For Adults:

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

A novel with a point of view from an octopus and other interesting, intersecting characters.

The Soul of An Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery

This nonfiction title is written by the author of Inky’s Amazing Escape AND it’s referenced in Remarkably Bright Creatures’ author’s note as inspiration.

Made-up stories like Also an Octopus help spark kids’ imaginations, but so do fact-based stories like Inky’s Amazing Escape. Growing wonder and excitement in kids is one if the biggest reasons we read together! If you’re looking for more great nonfiction-fiction pairs, check out the Bookflix service on the library’s website at tulsalibrary.org/kids