Snap Dragons: A Tale Of Christmas Eve And Old Father Christmas: An Old Fashioned Tale Of The Young Days Of A Grumpy Old Godfather

by Juliana Horatia Ewing, Gordon Browne (Illustrator)

Two short stories of the Christmas season for children

Genres: Christmas, Fiction

68 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1888

About the author

Born in 1841, Juliana Horatia Gatty was the daughter of the Rev. Alfred Gatty, a Church of England vicar, and an author, and of Margaret Gatty, also an author. She was married to Major Alexander Ewing, of the British army pay department, in 1867, relocating with him to New Brunswick, Canada, for the first two years of their marriage. Although Major Ewing was posted abroad again, in 1879 and 1881, Mrs. Ewing was prevented from accompanying him by ill health. She moved to Bath in 1885, in the hopes that the change would improve her health, but she died there that same year.

Juliana Horatia Ewing - sometimes also styled Juliana Horatia Gatty Ewing, or just "Mrs. Ewing" - is credited by Roger Lancelyn Green as being the author of the the "first outstanding child-novels" in English literature. In addition to her children's novels, Ewing also edited a number of magazines for young readers, including the Nursery Magazines (from 1856), the Monthly Packet and the monthly Aunt Judy's Magazine (both from 1866).

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't know, snap dragons is a British party game. They put raisins in a dish, pour brandy on it, and set it on fire. Then you have to quick grab a raisin, before you get burnt! Or snapped by a dragon. Seems a bit much for children. I don't think it is popular anymore for a lot of good reasons.

[Rita Ferrando Gomila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vaja fumada