Earn Trading Cards & Battle Your Friends
Reading Dragons & Friends are collectible playable cards featuring mythical creatures like dragons, unicorns, griffins and more. It is a fun way to motivate kids and teens to build positive reading habits.
Starter Set Available Starting June 1
Get your first set of cards and a Summer Reading Prize Tracker at any Jacksonville Public Library now through August 1. You can earn additional cards starting June 8 by showing your in-progress reading tracker to your local librarian. A different set is available each week (but supplies are limited).
Keep reading and visit the library often!
Everyone starts with four cards: one Earth (Green), one Water (Blue), and two Fire (Red). So, you can start playing right away. Optional: Pick up a Deck Box you can color and store your cards in.
How to Play Reading Dragons
Battle Your Friends in a Dragon Duel
- Shuffle your deck and then place the entire stack of cards face down, and do not look at them.
- Both players draw the top card on their deck, keeping it hidden.
- Count to three and then flip your cards over at the same time to see who wins.
Gameplay is similar to Rock Paper Scissors:
- Fire (Red) beats Earth (Green)
- Earth (Green) beats Water (Blue)
- Water (Blue) beats Fire (Red)
- If you have the same color you tie
- If you tie, the oldest creature wins
Collecting & Trading Cards
Track Your Reading, Earn More Cards
Getting new cards is simple. Read for least 20 minutes every day this summer and log your progress on a Summer Reading Prize Tracker. Then, show your tracker to a librarian to get that week's featured card set. Read every day this summer to complete up to three trackers.
You can earn up to:
- Three more prize books for your home library
- Eight more Reading Dragons card sets (32 cards)
Note: Prize books were made possible by donations to Tenikka's Books for Kids (annual book drive) and the Library Foundation of Jacksonville.
Summer at Jax Library runs June 1 - Aug. 1.
For more about the Summer Reading Challenge, visit our blog.
Note: Adult readers are encouraged to join Jax Stacks, our year-round reading challenge for adults.
Special Cards and Expansion Packs
Many library locations will also host Scavenger Hunts or give out Bingo Cards that allow you to earn more cards. Prizes and incentives for these activities will vary by location. Please ask your neighborhood librarian for more details.
You can also earn special cards or expansion packs by participating in other activities, like visiting a Bookmobile stop. Follow the Library on Facebook and Instagram or sign up for email newsletters so you don't miss a single card drop!
On Tuesday, June 9: Mandarin Museum will release an exclusive Reading Dragons expansion pack. From release date through August 1, kids can:
- Stop in to Mandarin Museum
- Check out an Adventure Backpack
- Go on an adventure in Walter Jones Historical Park
- Return the backpack to receive the special four-card set
The Mandarin Museum is located at 11964 Mandarin Rd. and is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. Admission is free. Each Adventure Backpack includes a free bookmark with related book recommendations available at the Library!
Rules for Trading Cards
Cards may also be traded with other players, but you MUST trade only WHOLE FAMILIES at a time. If you want to trade a card, you must trade the adult, child, baby and egg. A card "family" is made up of four cards with the same mythical creature. The four cards in the Starter Set are all "adult" versions of different mythical creatures.
Please note: The library will not replace cards that have been given away by trading, lost or damaged. Make sure you mark which cards are yours and which are not after making a trade.
About Reading Dragons & Friends
The program was developed at Dover Public Library by Librarians Liz Strauss and Mallory Thompson. It has grown from the collaborative efforts of creative librarians from all over. This program levels the playing field for readers of any ability by rewarding them for the time they spend reading.
