The Tale of Custard the Dragon

The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a poem for children written by Ogden Nash.[1] A picture book of the 1936 poem with illustrations by Lynn M. Munsinger was published in 1995.[2][3]

The poem has been described as "probably his most famous poem for kids".[4] In 1959, it inspired Leonard Lipton to write a poem that evolved into the song "Puff, the Magic Dragon".[5][6]

Synopsis

The poem opens with the introduction of Belinda and her company of pets: Ink (the kitten), Blink (the mouse), Mustard (the dog) and Custard (the dragon). Everyone in the house is very fond of bragging about their bravery, except for Custard. Despite his pretty frightening looks, the dragon cries for a nice safe cage and gets tickled. His inmates take it for granted that he is a coward and makes him the butt of ridicule.

All of a sudden, a pirate breaks into the house with pistols in his hands. Panic-stricken, everyone flees from the scene. However, the seemingly coward dragon chases at the pirate and devours him. Thus, he proves himself as the bravest of all and everyone feels obliged to him.

Now, as the danger is over, everyone again goes about blowing his own trumpet as before and Custard keeps asking for a nice safe cage.[7]

References
  1. Norma J. Livo (March 1973). "Dragons I have known and loved". The Reading Teacher. 26 (6). ISSN 0034-0561. JSTOR 20193291.
  2. "The Tale of Custard the Dragon Ogden Nash, Author, Lynn M. Munsinger, Illustrator". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  3. The Tale of Custard the Dragon, 1st edition, at WorldCat
  4. Roland, James (8 August 2002). "Selby hosts bash honoring Nash". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Halifax Media Group. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  5. "Puff The Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul and Mary". Songfacts. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  6. Shannon, Bob; Javna, John (1986). Behind the Hits. Warner Books. ISBN 978-0446389372.
  7. "The Tale of Custard the Dragon" (PDF). First Flight: Textbook in English for Class X. New Delhi: NCERT. 2019. pp. 129–131. ISBN 81-7450-658-6. OCLC 1144708197.
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