When a dragon needs saving, the Imaginary World knows just who to call: Ben and Pearl, who are always up for a new adventure. Join their rescue mission in this exciting entry in the Imaginary Veterinary series! Someone or something is stealing from the peaceful residents of Buttonville. But is the thief from the real world...or the imaginary one? Ben and Pearl are about to find out. When they report for duty at Dr. Woo's, Mr. Tabby hands them a bucket and a shovel—for the collection and proper disposal of dragon droppings—and directs the apprentices to the hospital's roof. Soon, they come face-to-snout with the dragon that lives there and find a pile of proof that he is the thief. Before Ben and Pearl can persuade the dragon to stop stealing, an emergency call comes in from the Imaginary World. The rain dragon has been injured! But with Dr. Woo out of town and Mr. Tabby busy with percolating pixies, time is running out. Will Ben and Pearl finally get a chance to travel to the Imaginary World? Even if it means breaking Dr. Woo's rules? Even if it means they might never come back? Suzanne Selfors delivers a wild journey filled with mythical creatures and zany adventures that are anything but imaginary. This book includes bonus writing, art, and science activities that will help readers discover more about the mythological creatures featured in The Rain Dragon Rescue. These activities are designed for the home and the classroom. Enjoy doing them on your own or with friends!

Leaving Los Angeles to pursue a simpler life on a community farm, Damian and his girlfriend, Amy, struggle with the disappointing realities of their choice before realizing that they have relationship-challenging views on identity and what really matters. By the author of Livability. Original.

Vietnam, 1968. A Vietnamese girl-a dragon-and her family are caught in the throes of violence, taking shelter in their dilapidated dwelling. The thick threat of attack hangs in the air like a heavy fog as bombs sound and machine guns whir throughout the city. As long as the family is together, all will be fine. Dublin, California, 2006. A Vietnamese-American woman-a dragon-reflects on her present circumstances, worlds away from those humble roots, now taking cover not from the indiscriminate cruelty of war but from the discriminate barbarity of man. As buds bloom and flowers blossom in a spectacular show of rebirth, spring dawns in her heart and delivers the promise of life. As long as she has her family, all will be fine. A Dragon's Tale, by Long Lee, is a rich tapestry, narrating a life's history wound with personal reflection. Marred by the ravages of war and the scars of personal battles, Lee's is a story of survival and the resiliency of the human spirit. From the rice fields of Vietnam to a cell on America's shores, one woman loses everything yet discovers she has gained it all.

The two minerals nephrite and jadeite, popularly comprised under the name jade, belong to the hardest and most cherished materials of which primitive man availed himself in shaping his chisels, hatchets, ornaments, amulets and many other implements. Such objects, partially of considerable antiquity, have been found in many parts of the world--in Asia, New Zealand, in prehistoric Europe and America. The geographical areas occupied by nephrite are so extended that it may almost be classified with flint as one of those mineral substances utilized to a large extent by a great number of peoples. Since the localities where nephrite occurs in nature seem to be difficult to discover, and since nephrite was known for a long time as coming only from Asia and New Zealand, and jadeite merely from certain districts of Asia, the scientific world was being held in long suspense by what is known as the nephrite question. -- Introduction.

The Dragon Prince is a collection of 15 stories and legends from Vietnam retold by Zen master poet and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. As in many of his teachings, Nhat Hanh emphasizes themes of cooperation and reconciliation, while providing a rich introduction to the mythical elements of Vietnamese culture. The stories range from creation myths to tales of wars and food and custom myths, all aiming at the notion of "mindfulness," of become aware of what is happening in the moment. Imaginary characters weave through the lives of actual persons and events, blending fiction and non-fiction, magic and fantasy, into the profound realization of the interconnectedness of all beings. The tales highlight the importance of "true seeing" and focuses on transcendence rather than anguish. Above all The Dragon Prince simply contains well-told stories with clear and lyrical writing, once again giving testament to Thich Nhat Hanh's immense skill as a writer. This book is a must for every collection. From the afterword by translator Mobi Warren: "The heroes and heroines of these stories celebrate closeness to the Earth, the importance of assuming personal responsibility for one's conduct, and the possibility of resolving conflict through understanding rather than violence". B/W Illustrations throughout.

Modernization and conversion to world religions are threatening the survival of traditional belief systems, leaving behind only mysterious traces of their existence. This book, based upon extensive research conducted over a period of nearly four decades, brings scientific rigor to one of the questions that have always attracted human curiosity: that of the origin of the dragon. The author demonstrates that both dragons and rainbows are cultural universals, that many of the traits that are attributed to dragons in widely separated parts of the planet are also attributed to rainbows, and that the number and antiquity of such shared traits cannot be attributed to chance or common inheritance, but rather to common cognitive pathways by which human psychology has responded to the natural environment in a wide array of cultures around the world.

Guan Yu was a minor general in the early third century CE, who supported one of numerous claimants to the throne. He was captured and executed by enemy forces in 219. He eventually became one the most popular and influential deities of imperial China under the name Lord Guan or Emperor Guan, of the same importance as the Buddhist bodhisattva Guanyin. This is a study of his cult, but also of the tremendous power of oral culture in a world where writing became increasingly important. In this study, we follow the rise of the deity through his earliest stage as a hungry ghost, his subsequent adoption by a prominent Buddhist monastery during the Tang (617-907) as its miraculous supporter, and his recruitment by Daoist ritual specialists during the Song dynasty (960-1276) as an exorcist general. He was subsequently known as a rain god, a protector against demons and barbarians, and, eventually, a moral paragon and almost messianic saviour. Throughout his divine life, the physical prowess of the deity, more specifically Lord Guan's ability to use violent action for doing good, remained an essential dimension of his image. Most research ascribes a decisive role in the rise of his cult to the literary traditions of the Three Kingdoms, best known from the famous novel by this name. This book argues that the cult arose from oral culture and spread first and foremost as an oral practice.