Title: Professor Diggins' dragons
First published: 1966
Description: [Review from Amazon.com] http://www.amazon.com/Professor-Diggins-Dragons-Felice-Holman/dp/0020436807/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326552205&sr=8-1 

"Professor Diggins is the kind of person everyone would want in their neighborhood -- polite, slightly eccentric, good with children, an odd storyteller, and an authority on marine biology. He also believes in dragons. When it is proposed that he take a very long vacation (the University is thinking of getting rid of him due to his references to dragon hunting in the modern world), he is convinced, rather easily, to take five children along with him to help him in his collection of seaside specimens.

From here on in is a lovely tale about overcoming fears, living up to one's potential, and, of course, the dragons that we all know really exist, whether they are the external, fire-breathing variety (none, sadly, actually show up in the book) or the internal, psychological ones (fear of the dark, being unsure that we are loved, etc.). With great kindness, mild humor, and a love of language Felice Holman's book guides us along the way to acceptance of ourselves by ourselves (whether others do or not is entirely up to them)."
LC classification: PZ7.H7325 Pr