How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head

by Bill Peet

One day, Droofus the Dragon gets lost in a fog and has to land alone in a strange country. Luckily, he makes friends with a boy and helps him on his farm. Now the dragon is in danger. Can the boy save Droofus?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dragons, Fiction, Fantasy, Animals, Fairy Tales

48 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1995

About the author

Bill Peet was an American children's book illustrator and a story writer for Disney Studios. He joined Disney in 1937 and worked on The Jungle Book, Song of the South, Cinderella, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, Goliath II, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, Pinocchio, Fantasia, The Three Caballeros, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and other stories.

After successes developing short stories for Disney, Peet had his first book published, Hubert's Hair Raising Adventure.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Bill Peet at his best. This dragon, Droofus, is a vegetarian, how about that. He has a heart of gold. We see a monster turned into the helpful next-door-neighbor. We usually see the worst of dragons and I feel it’s nice to see something other than fierce.

The knights of the kingdom go looking for the dragon and can’t find him because they look for bones in caves and this dragon leaves no bones from eating grass so they can’t find him. It turns out that dragons make excellent farmers. Bill Peet is quickly becoming one of my favorite author’s. I also love his art style. He seems to be a little less Disney here with his style.

The archetype of the knight slaying a dragon is that of the knight with sword as metal and death representing masculinity and the dragon is femininity - typically. It’s an archetype of the patriarchy. I like a new story and archetype where the dragon is nothing to be feared. That’s pretty awesome.

The nephew thought this was a great book. He loved the dragon and he thought he was funny. He gave this dragon 4 stars.

[Ronyell · Rating 4 out of 5]

“How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head” is another classic book from the creative mind of Bill Peet and is about a friendly dragon named Droofus who ends up being the friendliest dragon ever. “How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head” may be a bit tedious for some children who want action, but it is still an instant classic for many children to read.

Bill Peet’s story about a friendly dragon is a great tale for many children who love reading about dragons and mythical creatures. The scene in this book that stuck out the most was where Droofus saves a grasshopper from being eaten by a spider and that is where Droofus contemplates on whether or not he should eat the grasshopper. Of course, Droofus decides to not eat the grasshopper and goes on a diet of grass, which proves how humane Droofus becomes as the story progresses. Bill Peet’s illustrations are beautiful, especially of the images of Droofus flying over the countryside and you can see the old fashioned houses as Droofus flies over them.

“How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head” is a great book about friendship and how kindness can make one a happy person that many children will read over and over again for many years. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since I do not see anything that would be inappropriate for young children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big thank you to Goodreads friend Chandra for recommending this book to me! I can’t believe it’s been around for decades but I never knew about it.

It’s a very funny and sweet (but not overly sweet) story about a vegetarian (vegan actually) dragon.

I love how Droofus’s decision to eat grass and not animals ends up saving his own life, then helps him find a more fulfilling life. I also love how Droofus then helps the boy who helped him.

There’s some suspense throughout the story and there’s a very amusing ending.

I enjoyed the illustrations, especially of all the little forest and farm creatures, but my favorite picture was of Droofus’s head sleeping by the boy’s bed.

I plan to check out other books written and illustrated by this author.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delight! I so enjoyed meeting Droofus, a sweet and helpful (vegetarian!) dragon with a bounty on his head; in the end, he looses his head, but not in the way you might expect! This is a story of kindness, friendship and being true to yourself. I'll not go into details since my GoodReads friends Chandra and Lisa have already written such fabulous reviews. Thanks, Chandra, for bringing this to my attention! :-)

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head, by Bill Peet is an adorable heartwarming fantasy book that you just have to read! This book is amazing! I don't know how the author came up with all this! I wonder how it can be so sad, and so exciting all at the same time. The main characters are Droofus, the little boy and the little boy's father, and the king and knights. There are three problems: first, Droofus is lonely. Second, the little boy's family is poor. Third, the king wants Droofus's head on his wall. How do these problems get solved? You'll just have to read the book to find out!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I loved this! Wonderful text and illustrations. Droofus is such a sweetheart. I feel so bad for him and his battered wings! Awww. But he has such a good attitude. He gets kicked down, allows himself time to heal, gets up, brushes himself off, and goes about making himself useful. He cares about others and makes friends wherever he goes, but he's not a pushover either. DROOFUS IS AWESOME. He is my new hero!

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Animator and children's book author Bill Peet, whose picture-books, while very entertaining, can also be a little message-heavy - I'm looking at you, The Wump World and The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock - really hits the mark with How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head, an endearing story of a vegetarian dragon who finally finds his place in the world. Separated from his family during the course of a long flight, Droofus the dragon crash lands in a remote location, and, having rescued a tiny grasshopper from a spider's web, decides that he can no longer eat his fellow creatures, and will subsist on grass. But although his new life (when not hiding from knights intent on beheading him) is peaceful, it is also a little boring. Until, that is, the day that he finally finds his calling as a farm-hand. Will all be well, or will the king's desire for a dragon head on his wall put an end to Droofus' newfound happiness?

I enjoyed the story here, and appreciated the fact that there isn't any overt didactic purpose to it - just an engaging tale that will keep young readers in suspense, as they race through, in order to find out just how Droofus loses his head. I always have a qualm or two, about stories in which animals that would normally be carnivores are depicted as vegetarians - especially when this difference indicates that they are "nicer" than others of their kind - as I think this sends children the wrong message about the natural world, and the creatures in it, and might lead to some misguided ideas about the nature of carnivorous species. But leaving that issue aside, this was just a fun little book, one I would recommend to all young readers who enjoy stories of gentle giants, sad beasts, and good "monsters."

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story about a dragon being helpful and kind.

[Kemery Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't normally put my children's books here on Goodreads, but this one warranted an inclusion.

This short tale is whimsical in it's execution, set in a fantastical world, and full of warmth. It's a worthy book to read to little ones who need to hear about people working together to solve their problems and differences. To any parents looking for a lighthearted story to read to their kids, this one is just great.

[Jenny Hartfelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

We resurrected this book from my older children's early childhoods ... We have many memories of giggling on the couch as we read through this and Bill Peet's many other adventures. It was fun sharing it as a new read with my 6yo. 😍

Aaaaand ... My 6yo just saw me leaving this review and said, "Don't get give it 4 stars! Give it 5!!" 😁😏

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one book that I hadn't read before of Bill Peet so it was with rather some uncertainty that I allowed the book to enter the apartment along with a large stack of his other works. The whole title was just not something that attracted the attention while Droofus' name as well as his looks weren't the best that I am sure Peet could have come up with.

The story was kind of quick with the beginning action to put the little dragon where they needed him but after that the true action kind of dried-up. There were a few parts that could have been decent if they had been told in another style but with the way the book was put together it just was like reading a chalkboard of scratching nails.

The illustrations weren't his best for although they show the trademark that has become Peet, with the exception of Droofus it didn't feel like there was much anything new to look at.

All if it should interest one's child or children then it can be a good lesson on how no to judge others as well as the importance of being a hero as well as what it means if you agree to that track.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet, but somewhat silly tale about a dragon who gets separated from the rest of his group and ends up a vegetarian who lives with a family of farmers. The story is enchanting and has plenty of excitement throughout. With the dreadful-sounding title, we waited anxiously to find out how the poor dragon lost his head. But, as expected, the story has a happy ending. The illustrations are terrific and our girls mentioned that Droofus looks very similar to a dragon named Stormfly from How to Train Your Dragon. (I'm not sure if this is true, but they both insisted there was a resemblance.)

[Noah Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read. About a hundred times. I'm a Bill Peet groupie. Mom read it to me over and over and over again when I was four, now I carry it around and read it over and over again myself. Frankly anything by Bill Peet fits this description. Droofus is a nice role model for a kid who is surrounded by light saber wielding, fake gun toting friends. Recommended to moms who want to give a good kid level example of empathy to their kids. Kids who love adventure via animals / dragons.

[Robert Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The incomparable Bill Peet and his colored pencil artwork makes this tale of a wayward dragon who finds his place in the world a delight.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my daughter years ago. Bill Peet is one of my favorite children's books authors, right up there with Dr. Seuss.

[KhiN’Millie Friesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vegetarian dragon who is as kind as a kitten & helpful as a mule!

Khi says “it’s good… I like that he lost his head haha”

[Brooke]

Am I frantically reading picture books so I don’t fail my goodreads goal? Yes, yes I am.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always get a wee bit annoyed when I find a book that others have read and enjoyed, but apparently didn’t tell me about. This is one of those books.

I read it out loud to the kids and they very much liked it. It was quite amusing,to me the adult, with its whimsical vocabulary and puns.

Recommend.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Bill Pete's illustrations and his stories are always full of humor and heart.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Droofus the dragon gets separated from his family at a young age, realizes he prefers to be a vegetarian, and goes flying to fight off boredom. The local king sees him during a flight and decides that that dragon's head needs to be on his wall. Though all the knights can't seem to find the dragon, a young shephard boy does when his lamb goes missing and is found sleeping next to the dragon. The boy decides not to turn the dragon in since he is a nice dragon. Days later, Droofus gets caught in a storm and crashes into the boy's family's field. He is in bad shape, but the boy and his father care for him. Soon, Droofus is up and healthy, and finds joy in helping the boy and father with farm chores. The king soon hears of this, but the boy and his father refuse to sell Droofus because he is worth so much more to them alive. The king then comes up with the idea of renting Droofus every once in a while for parties. Droofus appears at these with his head poking through a window for decoration.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who has ever felt misunderstood will sympathize with Droofus, a dragon who was separated from his family while flying in a bad storm. As he comes to grips with his new life, an act of kindness towards an innocent creature sets his life on a new path. Adults and children will love this touching tale that delivers a glimpse at what joy might fill the world if kindness and understanding become habits in our lives. Peet’s drawings enhance the story by capturing the emotions of the characters throughout the story - from Droofus’ facial expressions to the eyes of horses to the boy as he searches in the darkness for a lost lamb.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Peet is, and has been for a long time, my favorite author of children's books. If mom gets one of his books at the library for Sharon, I still go and read them again.
His stories are simple but unique, and his illustrations are cute. This book is one of my favorite Bill Peet books, and is therefore definately one of my favorite children's books, right up there next to If You Give A Moose A Muffin, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, and very close to the Narnia books (which I consider a LITTLE bit older than these other children's books).

[Anima · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story about a dragon who does not have the heart to kill a grasshopper that he snatched out of a spiderweb. He looks like a fearsome beast, but he is gentle and kind. He is alone with no mom or dad. He eats only grass, does no harm, chopps wood with his tail, and carries rocks to clear a farmer's field. He is so adorable ..and the
king wants his head. The ending is full of surprise! I very much enjoyed it!

[Laura Aldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a sweet book about not jumping to conclusions about others because of how they appear.

While it is a bit slower than today's modern picture books, it tells a great story of Droofus Dragon.

The specific copy I read seems to be slightly misprinted - as the edges don't appear to line up the way you'd expect them to with the cut of the pages, but that doesn't really take away from the story at all.

[Sparrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent children's story. The art is strange, but the narration was so enjoyable, as well as the morals, that I didn't mind. I liked that Droofus discovered what he wanted to do with his life, and that he no longer wanted to be horrible.

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could remember why I checked out this book; it's interesting to see how illustrations and printing have changed since this was initially published in 1971. I'm not sure that I've read that many of Bill Peet's books, and I enjoy reading Indiana authors.

[SJ L · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very pleasant and charming tale that promotes vegetarianism (the dragon doesn’t eat meat), passivism, and work ethic. The dragon avoids being killed because he is a passivist and is useful in a capitalistic society. So much so that he negotiates a better hourly rate. Pretty cool, harmless read.

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sad beginning turns into an adventurous tale of friendship and creative thinking. Droofus is a likable character and the artwork adds to his quirky personality. Love this story!

[Kathryn Veil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Bill Peet books. These are ones I grew up reading with my mom. She loves them too, so it's definitely a nostalgic read for me. My kids really enjoy his books as well.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friendly dragon finds fulfillment in helping others.