Jane and the Dragon


 * ''This page refers to the book series, Jane and the Dragon. For the television series, see "Jane and the Dragon (TV series)".



Jane and the Dragon is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Martin Baynton. The three books are "Jane and the Dragon" (1988); "The Dragon's Purpose" (1989); and "Jane and the Magician" (2000).

The first book features Jane, a young girl whose mother is a lady-in-waiting to the queen. Jane is expected to grow up in her mother's footsteps, but wishes to become a knight. When the royal prince is kidnapped by a dragon, Jane sets out to rescue the boy.

Baynton says that the inspiration for the books came from his wanting to write "a story about a girl who wanted to follow her dreams despite the expectations of her family and friends" and from a young girl telling him "how she hated fairy stories because the girls were wimps".

The book series inspired an animated series on television.