When young Lionel is whisked from his nursery one morning and crowned king, he becomes fascinated by the forbidden Book of Beasts in the palace library. But when a real red dragon escapes from the pages and wreaks havoc on the kingdom...

This sequel to Five Children and It sees the four children finding a carpet and then being told by a phoenix that it is a magic carpet. This means a series of adventures. With delightful music of the period.