Miss Fanshawe and the Great Dragon Adventure

I’ve been on something of an unintentional burnout / mental health break, and I’ve found it difficult to focus on anything related to this blog in the meantime. In the interest of trying to pull myself out of this rut, however, I thought I would do something a little different to help me get back into the swing of things.

I was homeschooled as a child, from kindergarten through 8th grade (U.S. educational system), and creationist misdirection aside, I have generally positive memories associated with it. One particular good memory got buried for nearly two decades, until one sleepless night when suddenly, a memory of a dragon adventure story popped unbidden into my head, and consumed my thoughts for some time after. I could clearly picture myself as a young child, reading it in the little library section of the homeschooling center we were affiliated with. I could vividly remember its unique illustrations, done in a fascinating pseudo-Victorian style with almost paradoxically eye-popping colors, and I remembered the general plot about an intrepid woman explorer doggedly determined to find herself a living dragon. Alas, try as I might however, I couldn’t think of its name, its author, or anything that could get Google to help me find it! You don’t know HOW many kids books there are about dragons until you’ve tried to search for a particular one, armed only with vague Internet search terms…

It took nearly another half decade, when finally, whether because I at last figured out the magic combination of keywords, or because more information simply made its way to the internet, I finally rediscovered this long-lost childhood treasure. I could now put the name “Miss Fanshawe and the Great Dragon Adventure” to the cover I otherwise remembered so well, and know knew that Sue Scullard both wrote and illustrated it.

I immediately secured myself a copy from eBay, and was overjoyed to find it completely lived up to my memory, right down the the dragon spines that looked so sharp that I could practically feel them through the page! Sadly, it seems to be out of print now, which doubtless has contributed to its obscurity, and the difficulty I had in finding it. Therefore, I’ve decided to take the risk of uploading it here in full, both to give my readers the chance to enjoy it, and hopefully to possibly generate interest in getting it into print again! I might add little footnotes to the images if I think of something interesting to say, but otherwise I will simply let the book speak for itself.

If the images are too small to properly appreciate, open them in a new tab, or use whatever other option your device may allow you to zoom in on them.

Thank you for reading along with me! Much like Miss Fanshawe herself, I was overjoyed to rediscover something I thought was lost forever, but eventually came to feel I would do right by it to let it go. As I mentioned in one of the captions above, the artwork reminded me so strongly of the work of Natee Himmapaan, I decided I absolutely HAD to pass it along to them once I found out they had never heard of it. I am pleased to report they were delighted to receive it, and enjoyed the illustration themselves. (You can find them on Redbubble and most major social network sites under the name Himmapaan!)

I feel like this book has something to offer every fan of prehistoric life in general. Dragons of course naturally beg comparison to dinosaurs, but the whole vibe of the book recalls the era of scientific discovery that surrounded the beginning of paleontology as a science. The dragon’s exhibit in this book particularly recalled the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs for me. In fact, The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins would pair rather nicely with this book in some ways, if you’re into themed groupings of children’s books. For a deep historical dive, Witton & Michel’s The Art and Science of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs is the most comprehensive source on the topic, and I think a reading of it will vindicate my assessment that Miss Fanshawe shares the general vibe of this era of science and paleontology.

Interestingly, despite its obscurity, it DOES seem to have had a similarly obscure influence on at least one other book. The Story of Life: Evolution is Amazing! by Anne Rooney (author of Dinosaur Atlas) features an Archaeopteryx that looks shockingly like the evil birds that dogged Miss Fanshawe’s travels! In fact it appears it has been more or less directly traced from a particular illustration during the escape through the caves! While I am salty about the similarly lazy feathered dinosaurs that share the page with this supposed “Archaeopteryx“, I almost can’t be mad at this one, as it demonstrates there’s at least one other person in the publishing world who seems to be aware of this delightful storybook.

“Miss Fanshawe and the Great Dragon Adventure” is a unique and excellently produced book, and I strongly recommend seeking it out for yourself if you can. If you have any publishing connections, I plead for a rerelease as soon as possible!