-
The Dragon King
- Narrated by: Ken MacMillan
- Length: 13 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $3.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
The brave Japanese warrior Fujiwara Hidesato was always in search of action and adventure... and he suddenly found them one day on the beautiful Lake Biwa. When the Dragon King asked for help to defeat the terrible centipede that was threating his kingdom, Hidesato readily promised to do what he could to help him.
This entertaining Japanese fairy tale has all the right ingredients of a great story for young listeners: dragons, adventure, warriors, magical rewards, and beautiful underwater castles. Nation9 is excited to bring this timeless Japanese story to a new generation of listeners.
Related to this topic
-
The Secret Garden
- By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Narrated by: Carrie Hope Fletcher
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mary Lennox starts her life as an unhappy victim of circumstance. After the loss of her parents, she moves to rural Yorkshire to live with a distant uncle where she resents the wildness of the countryside. At first, she struggles to find a place in this new existence. Although unsure about her surroundings and its occupants, through the gentle guidance of the maid she gradually becomes interested in the story of Mrs Craven, who apparently used to spend her time in a garden at the house, the key to which has vanished.
-
-
Fabulous
- By Lady Lightning on 05-19-20
-
The Ickabog
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The kingdom of Cornucopia was once the happiest in the world. It had plenty of gold, a king with the finest moustache you could possibly imagine, and butchers, bakers, and cheesemongers whose exquisite foods made a person dance with delight when they ate them. Everything was perfect - except for the misty Marshlands to the north, which, according to legend, were home to the monstrous Ickabog. Anyone sensible knew that the Ickabog was just a myth to scare children into behaving. But the funny thing about myths is that sometimes they take on a life of their own.
-
-
Oh, dear...
- By ili pika on 11-11-20
By: J.K. Rowling
-
The Christmas Pig
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Amaka Okafor, Rocco Padden, Gerran Howell, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jack loves his childhood toy Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve something terrible happens - DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life...even toys. And Jack’s newest toy - the Christmas Pig (DP’s annoying replacement) - has a daring plan: Together they’ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost and to save the best friend Jack has ever known....
-
-
More Scary & Violent Than "Heartwarming Adventure"
- By Bookworm on 10-19-21
By: J.K. Rowling
-
Jack And The Beanstalk & Other Stories
- By: BBC Audiobooks
- Narrated by: Lenny Henry, Sheridan Smith
- Length: 1 hr and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Jack and the Beanstalk", read by Lenny Henry
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears", read by Sheridan Smith
"Puss in Boots", read by Lenny Henry
"Snow White", read by Sheridan Smith. Here are four fantastic stories, full of magic and fun, that young children are sure to love!
-
-
Jack and the beanstalk
- By Amazon Customer on 03-02-21
By: BBC Audiobooks
-
The Reluctant Dragon
- By: Kenneth Grahame
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Boy lives in a cottage with his mother and father, and the Dragon lives in a cave on the Downs. The Boy is his only friend. The Dragon is not at all the sort of Dragon one might expect to meet, however: he's polite and friendly.
-
-
THE HAPPY BOHEMIAN DRAGON
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-20-17
By: Kenneth Grahame
-
Peppa Pig's Play-A-Long Podcast (Series 1)
- By: Ryan Denham
- Narrated by: Amelie Bea Smith, Frances White, George Weightman, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Full to the brim with catchy songs, silly sound-based games, and fantastical stories – Peppa Pig’s Play-A-Long Podcast lets you join in the fun every step of the way. Peppa guides us on an exploration of everything from the confusing world of grown-ups, what to do when we’re not sleepy at bedtime, and how to deal with big feelings when they come up. The whole family is invited to play along, as Peppa, George, Mummy and Daddy Pig enjoy games that everyone can play-a-long at home, too!
By: Ryan Denham
-
The Secret Garden
- By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Narrated by: Carrie Hope Fletcher
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mary Lennox starts her life as an unhappy victim of circumstance. After the loss of her parents, she moves to rural Yorkshire to live with a distant uncle where she resents the wildness of the countryside. At first, she struggles to find a place in this new existence. Although unsure about her surroundings and its occupants, through the gentle guidance of the maid she gradually becomes interested in the story of Mrs Craven, who apparently used to spend her time in a garden at the house, the key to which has vanished.
-
-
Fabulous
- By Lady Lightning on 05-19-20
-
The Ickabog
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The kingdom of Cornucopia was once the happiest in the world. It had plenty of gold, a king with the finest moustache you could possibly imagine, and butchers, bakers, and cheesemongers whose exquisite foods made a person dance with delight when they ate them. Everything was perfect - except for the misty Marshlands to the north, which, according to legend, were home to the monstrous Ickabog. Anyone sensible knew that the Ickabog was just a myth to scare children into behaving. But the funny thing about myths is that sometimes they take on a life of their own.
-
-
Oh, dear...
- By ili pika on 11-11-20
By: J.K. Rowling
-
The Christmas Pig
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Amaka Okafor, Rocco Padden, Gerran Howell, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jack loves his childhood toy Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve something terrible happens - DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life...even toys. And Jack’s newest toy - the Christmas Pig (DP’s annoying replacement) - has a daring plan: Together they’ll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost and to save the best friend Jack has ever known....
-
-
More Scary & Violent Than "Heartwarming Adventure"
- By Bookworm on 10-19-21
By: J.K. Rowling
-
Jack And The Beanstalk & Other Stories
- By: BBC Audiobooks
- Narrated by: Lenny Henry, Sheridan Smith
- Length: 1 hr and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"Jack and the Beanstalk", read by Lenny Henry
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears", read by Sheridan Smith
"Puss in Boots", read by Lenny Henry
"Snow White", read by Sheridan Smith. Here are four fantastic stories, full of magic and fun, that young children are sure to love!
-
-
Jack and the beanstalk
- By Amazon Customer on 03-02-21
By: BBC Audiobooks
-
The Reluctant Dragon
- By: Kenneth Grahame
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Boy lives in a cottage with his mother and father, and the Dragon lives in a cave on the Downs. The Boy is his only friend. The Dragon is not at all the sort of Dragon one might expect to meet, however: he's polite and friendly.
-
-
THE HAPPY BOHEMIAN DRAGON
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-20-17
By: Kenneth Grahame
-
Peppa Pig's Play-A-Long Podcast (Series 1)
- By: Ryan Denham
- Narrated by: Amelie Bea Smith, Frances White, George Weightman, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Full to the brim with catchy songs, silly sound-based games, and fantastical stories – Peppa Pig’s Play-A-Long Podcast lets you join in the fun every step of the way. Peppa guides us on an exploration of everything from the confusing world of grown-ups, what to do when we’re not sleepy at bedtime, and how to deal with big feelings when they come up. The whole family is invited to play along, as Peppa, George, Mummy and Daddy Pig enjoy games that everyone can play-a-long at home, too!
By: Ryan Denham
What listeners say about The Dragon King
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
- 01-04-13
Nice (very) short fairy tale for kids
I quite often listen to audiobooks with my kids, when I saw this short (short!) story pop up with the description "The brave Japanese warrior Fujiwara Hidesato was always in search of action and adventure..." I was quickly interested.
My kids are actually quite accomplished and discerning listeners. They've enjoyed Roald Dahl reading his own "Fantastic Mr. Fox". They've enjoyed Neil Gaiman reading his own "Odd and the Frost Giants". They've enjoyed Emma Thompson reading her own "The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit". (And re-listen again and again to their favorites -- my son has been on Marc Brown's "Francine Believe it or Not" (from his Arthur stories) for a good long while.)
Our first listen was in the car -- a 13 minute story is about perfect for a drive to or from an errand. Both kids (my son is 6 and my daughter 4.5) listened with rapt attention, with a few questions, e.g. "What is a quiver?" But the true test is whether they request a re-listen. (I know this from telling them my own stories; no matter how proud I might be, and how I think they liked it the first time, a second hearing? Most likely, not a chance.) Well, this one did pass that test, both kids wanted to hear it again later, and again listened attentively.
The story adapts a Japanese fairy tale "My Lord Bag of Rice" in which a young warrior Fujiwara no Hidesato encounters a dragon princess and slays a giant centipede for her, earning magical gifts. In other versions, rather than turning into a princess, the dragon becomes a "strange small man" -- the eponymous Dragon King, but other essentials remain. It's told quite straightforwardly and to a young reader's understanding, with a few possibly new words to consider (e.g. "quiver", above) and some vivid visual descriptions, particularly of the giant centipede's emergence from the mountain. There are some typical fairy tale features here (naturally Hidesato has three, and only three, arrows, and needs each and every one of them) but overall it was definitely something different for both me and the kids and we enjoyed it.
Some nitpicks on the (overall excellent) narration and production:
* Pronunciation of "horror" was a teensy bit suspect
* Gaps between sections were overall much too long - particularly next to last or so.
* Conversely, gaps at beginning and in particular the end were too short.
* One section - the first appearance of the centipede on the mountain - was noticeably quiet compared to the rest.
These are noticeable and fixable issues which (other than "horror" which is I suppose acceptable) I would expect a professional production to correct. I do have another suggestion for future releases: A good choice of intro and (in particular) outtro music would have been excellent improvements here. The story does (as fairy tales often do) end abruptly, just in time for the closing credits to rush right in, dispelling the created mood.
I've never heard Ken MacMillan narrate before and he seemed exceedingly well cast, and did a good job with the story, with enough animation in his reading to keep kids interested. Overall: definitely pick this one up for your wee listeners, though I do hope Nation9 fixes some of the production glitches, and make sure you are careful to not use a credit rather than the retail/member price.
Nation9 also has produced an Android App which combines text, illustrations, animation, and narration, and a Kindle version which has at least some of the same illustrations as well, minus the narration and animation. These aren't applicable to me (I don't have such a device) but the App might be of interest for listeners as well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful