Rune Dances

Years ago I made up a story for my niece about a dragon who danced at a Midsummer festival, and over time I added to it and drew some pictures. The story has stayed in the family, but now I think it would be fun to share it with all of you.

My academic background is in medieval history and literature, and I was always especially interested in illuminated manuscripts and wooden block cut art, as well as the rhythmic style of alliterative poetry. Rune Dances was created with these influences in mind, with plenty of nods to the Scandinavian and Celtic legends that I grew up hearing and still enjoy today. The message of the story is very simple — don’t let fears about needing to be perfect stop you from having a good time! I hope you and your children enjoy hearing the story together.

Audio only version of Rune Dances:

For betimes, car rides, and those other times when staring at a screen isn’t a great idea:

Coloring Pages for Rune Dances

Click on each image for a full size, printable version. Don’t forget to send me a an image of the page all colored in!

A dragon dancing with a ribbon
Rune dancing with a ribbon
Rune at the grand finale
Flowers from the final scene
Birds from different pages in the book
A “Home Sweet Home” wall hanging for Vikings