The Evolving Revelation of Puff the Magic Dragon

by Robert Burke Warren, December 21, 2007

“It was probably the FBI,” jokes Peter Yarrow, explaining that upon returning to his New York City apartment, he found a mysteriously overflowed toilet, which delayed his return phone call to me. He is affable and genuinely apologetic, demonstrating his belief that everyone has feet of clay, stuff happens, and to apologize is to create an aura of mutual respect, allowing for progress.

Although best known as one-third of trailblazing folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary, Yarrow has a resume featuring a staggering amount of work done for causes that run the gamut from civil rights to the peace movement, to education, and now to a top-selling illustrated children’s book version of his best-known song—“Puff the Magic Dragon.”

The book features an accompanying CD on which Yarrow and his daughter Bethany Yarrow, a vocalist, and her husband Rufus Cappodocia, a master cellist, re-recorded both vocal and instrumental versions of “Puff,” as well as the ancient folk chestnuts “Blue Tail Fly” and “Froggie Went a-Courtin’.” The newly-minted group of Peter, Bethany, and Rufus also has released a full-length CD Puff & Other Family Classics, 11 traditional songs focused through a new lens. Although pushing 70, Yarrow is hitting the road with gusto, intending to use this music—in particular the strange power that the wistful “Puff” has on both toddlers and septuagenarians—to bring people together. Yarrow will perform and sign copies of Puff the Magic Dragon (book with CD) and Puff and & Other Family Classics (CD) on Saturday January 19 at 2pm at the Barnes & Noble on Rt. 9W in Kingston.


Robert Burke Warren: What are these performances/book signings like?

Peter Yarrow: It’s turned into an entity of its own. I sing and we get a sense of community firmly established, and the kids roam the stage and sing “Puff” with me, then I say hello to people. But it’s not just about singing. The feeling that we have is what we miss so much in the country: Feeling like we are a community. [These performances] are equally as special as playing at Carnegie Hall.