Draken med de røde øynene

En natt i april fødte purka ti grisunger og en liten drage.

Smågrisene sloss om plassen i halmen rundt henne. Men helt for seg selv, i en krok, stod en liten tynn, grønn drage med røde sinte øyne. De to barn forer dragen med lysestubber, hyssing, korker og slikt som drager pleier å like.

Dragen er hemmelighetsfull og ofte humørsyk, men liker å bli klødd på ryggen. Han blir hos dem over sommeren, men en kveld i oktober tar han farvel, og flyr sin vei inn i solnedgangen. Barna hører den klare sangen hans, og skjønner at han er lykkelig. Små drager trenger nok omsorg og kjærlighet, men når de er flyveferdig må de ta den friheten de lengter etter.

Dragen med de røde øynene

Astrid Lindgren

Barnebok

Barnebøker

Gave barn

Miste barndom.

Louise D'Arcens and Andrew Lynch believe that the story of Astrid Lindgren deals with the loss of childhood. Because of that the story is told from an adult's perspective. The adult remembered the time when she was a child. There is no adult figure in the story of her childhood. One day the dragon says goodbye. The adults remember that she only cried that day and couldn't read any story in the evening. With the following quote, the adults remembers the end of her childhood: "On the 2nd of October every year I think of my childhood dragon. For it was on a second October that he disappeared".

The feeling of loss caused by the farewell and departure of the dragon put an end to the joys of imagination and lead to a disenchanted world that leaves no room for dragons, so that only the memory remains. Thus, the loss of childhood is mourned, which is represented by a division between past and future, premodern and modern, child and adult.

According to Gabriele Cromme the book shows that feminine loving care and empathy also includes to be able to let go.