It’s not every day that you meet a real dragon. Rather than breathing fire, Steve Dragon fights fires.
A Birdsboro firefighter since 1987, Dragon began telling stories about dragons to his daughter Rachel when she was 3. With the help of her older brother Steven Jr. she believed the stories as much as she believed in Santa Claus.
“Telling the bedtime stories to Rachel was very easy to do, and fun,” he said. “I told her stories of how we were really dragons and could turn into dragons and fly off to the Land of Dragons.”
“While there, we had wonderful adventures,” he said.
He recently turned those bedtime stories into children’s books, the first about a dragon standing up against bullies for his sister dragon and the second about learning how to be a dragon. A third book is in the works.
More than stories meant to entertain young readers, the books aim to also educate.
“Both books have hidden morals to them. ‘Were You Born A Dragon?’ is about standing up to bullies, which our son did for (our daughter) Rachel in real life, and brotherly love. ‘Were You Born A Dragon Too?’ focuses on the need for a good education and how learning can be fun,” he said.
“I hope the children can learn from these lessons. I have had great feedback from parents on how the lessons are hidden, but understandable,” Dragon added.
The first book takes readers on an adventure with Steven and his father as they take his newborn sister Rachel to the Land of Dragons.
“There they must receive the blessing of the King of Dragons so that they can raise her to be a dragon. But first they must get past Arnod, the Chief Security Dragon who doesn’t like babies. This is a story of brotherly love for his new sister as he protects her on the long voyage and stands up to a dragon that likes to be a bully,” according to the book’s description on BookBaby.com.
The second book tells of his children’s return to their ancestral home to celebrate Rachel’s first birthday with other dragons.
“While there Steven is whisked away by his two dragon teachers who will show him the importance of getting a good education while learning what it means to be a dragon. At first Steven is reluctant to learn but by the end of his first class, can’t wait to continue his schooling,” according to the book description.
Firefighter Becomes Author
A resident of Birdsboro, Dragon has been with the Birdsboro-Union Fire Department since 1987. He began his fire service in 1975 at Spring Mill Fire Company in Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County. Currently, he is a driver and public information officer for the Birdsboro-Union Fire Department. Also, he is a senior instructor at the Montgomery County Fire Academy and an adjunct instructor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy.
In April 2021, he retired from the automobile industry after 46 years. To fill his time, he joined the Ringing Hill Fire Company in Lower Pottsgrove and serves as a driver there three days a week.
With his last name as Dragon, telling stories about dragons came very naturally for him. As a firefighter and instructor, he is often asked if Dragon is his real name.
“That is why it’s on the cover of the first book. I also told people who asked that, as a firefighter, I was making up for the sins of my ancestors,” he said.
Dragon became an author in 2019 after his daughter, Rachel Weiler, requested he write down the bedtimes stories he told her in her youth.
Now grown, his daughter Rachel is a special education teacher for the Lancaster County Intermediate Unit. In June 2019, she told her students that she was a real dragon and could fly away.
“They didn’t believe her so she called me and told me I needed to write down the story, something she and my wife had told me to do for 30 years,” he said.
Dragon quickly put the story to paper and made the book in pamphlet form.
“She read it to her class and they believed her,” he said.
At that point, his wife told him to get the story published. He searched for a publisher and decided on BookBaby.com, and “Were You Born A Dragon?” was published in November 2019.
“Catherine McMahon did all the beautiful artwork for the first book, based on what I told her I wanted on each page,” he said.
Already having the idea for the second book, “Were You Born A Dragon Too?” was published in April 2021 with the help of illustrator McMahon.
“I have the idea for the third book and am working on getting it laid out and ideas for the artwork.”
Next Generation of Dragons
Two of his biggest fans are probably his two grandsons, ages 7 and 4.
“The 7 year old loves that his Daddy is the hero in both books,” said Dragon. “When my son heard me telling the stories to them he said, ‘Here he goes again.’”
“I loved telling the stories 30 years ago, and am glad I can still tell them to a new generation of dragons.”
Steve Dragon’s books can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and BookBaby.com. Find at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/were-you-born-a-dragon.
Source: Berkshire mont
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