Puff, the Magic Dragon poem titled "Custard the Dragon", about a "realio, trulio little pet dragon". The lyrics tell a story of the ageless dragon Puff and his playmate, Jackie Paper, a little boy who grows up and loses interest in the imaginary adventures of childhood and leaves Puff to be with himself. (The line "A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys" is generally thought to imply only that "little Jackie Paper" grew up.) The story of the song takes place "by the sea" in the fictional land of "Honalee". Lipton was friends with Peter Yarrow's housemate when they were all students
The Reluctant Dragon (short story) The Reluctant Dragon (short story) "The Reluctant Dragon" is an 1898 children's story by Kenneth Grahame, originally published as a chapter in his book "Dream Days". It is Grahame's most famous short story, arguably better known than "Dream Days" itself or the related "The Golden Age". It can be seen as a prototype to most modern stories in which the dragon is a sympathetic character rather than a threat. The story takes place in the Berkshire Downs in Oxfordshire (where the author lived and where, according to legend, St. George did fight a dragon). In Grahame's story, a young boy