A young boy recounts his father's adventures on an island where animals are endowed with human traits.
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My Father's Dragon--a favorite of young readers since the 1940s and a Newbery honor book--captures the nonsensical logic of childhood in an amusingly deadpan fashion. The story begins when Elmer Elevator (the narrator's father as a boy) runs away with an old alley cat to rescue a flying baby dragon being exploited on a faraway island. With the help of two dozen pink lollipops, rubber bands, chewing gum, and a fine-toothed comb, Elmer disarms the fiercest of beasts on Wild Island. The quirky, comical adventure ends with a heroic denouement: the freeing of the dragon. Abundant black-and-white lithographs by Ruth Chrisman Gannett (the author's stepmother) add an evocative, lighthearted mood to an already enchanting story. Author Ruth Stiles Gannett 's stand-alone sequel, Elmer and the Dragon, and her third volume, The Dragons of Blueland both received starred reviews in School Library Journal and are as fresh and original as her first. (Ages 4 to 8)
--This text refers to the
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About the Author
RUTH STILES GANNETT wrote My Father's Dragon just a few years after her graduation from Vassar College in 1944. It was an immediate success, becoming a Newbery Honor Book, and was soon followed by two sequels, Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. All three dragon stories have been continuously in print in the more than 40 years since their publication. The author's other books include Katie and the Sad Noise and The Wonderful House-Boat- Train. She is married to the artist and calligrapher Peter Kahn. They have seven daughters and seven grandchildren.
--This text refers to the
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By slomamma
Format:Paperback
This was the first chapter book I read to my son, when he was 4, and I couldn't have found a better choice. The story is simple and easy to follow — a nine-year-old boy saves an enslaved baby dragon and then flies home on the dragon's back. The book's language is simple and direct. And there's a black and white drawing on almost every other page, which is perfect, because most young children still need a picture to look at while they're listening.
The best thing about the book for me was that even though there's plenty of action (mostly involving the little boy outsmarting a series of wild animals in order to reach the dragon), there's nothing the least bit scary here. That was very important to me as the mother of a four-year-old. The book was written in the forties, and it has a sweet, gentle, old-fashioned quality that it's hard to find in any form of entertainment for young children today. (Even Disney is too intense for a lot of four-year-olds.) It has the kind of innocence most of us would like our children to be able to hang on to for a few years.
My son loved the book so much we read it over and over again, and went on to read the other two books in the series (Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland) many times as well.
Years later, when he was in third grade, his teacher mentioned to me that she was hunting for a chapter book to read to the class, but wasn't having much luck. Everything she looked at seemed beyond the attention span of many of the kids in her class. I told her about My Father's Dragon, but I also said it probably wasn't exciting enough to hold the attention of third graders. But she tried it anyway, and later told me that kids who had never shown any interest in books were reminding her every day to read another chapter. She, too, went on to read the whole series.
It's a great introduction to chapter books. More important, it's a lovely, gentle book to share with a child.
By Kevin Aubie
Format:Paperback
When I was a young boy these books were my absolute favourites. I am actually going to read them again at 46 and give some out as gifts to kids.
By Jamie A
Format:Hardcover
This book is the cutest book ever! My daughter and I loved it! This is an action adventure book for young kids (4-7). The tone of the book has suspense and intrigue but totally appropriate for little kids.
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4.6 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Father goes on....
This book is about a boy named Elmer Elevator. The story is told by his child, his daughter, we think. He goes on a big adventure, trying to rescue a baby dragon. Read more
Published on May 6 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dragon Rescue
This book is by Ruth Stiles Gannett. It is fiction because a dragon is in it and animals talk in it. Read more
Published on Feb 4 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dragon Rescue
This book is by Ruth Stiles Gannet. It is fiction because a dragon is in it and animals talk in it. Read more
Published on Feb 4 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars
My Father's Dragon
My Father's Dragon, a Newbery Honor Book, has been a favorite among young readers since it was written in 1948. Read more
Published on Nov 4 2003 by Paula Elizabeth
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great kids book!
I read this one to my great-grandson when he was four years old, and he listened wide-eyed and was entranced. Read more
Published on Sep 7 2003 by Joseph H Pierre
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Treasure!
My 11 year old son has read all 3 of these books in 3 days. He is NOT one to read unless it interests him and he found these books facinating. We wish there were more! Read more
Published on Jun 19 2003 by P. Hall
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Father's Dragon
My Fathers Dragon is the first book out of a series of three. It is a fiction story about a kid named Elmer, who loves to go on adventures. Read more
Published on April 10 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Fathers Dragon
This Book is a fiction story about a kid named Elmer, who loves to go on adventures and one of his adventures is rescueing a baby drogon who has been captured by animals, and taken... Read more
Published on April 9 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Father's Dragon
I read this book to my second graders. They loved it! To make it really special, get yourself a backpack and fill it with the many things that are used during this adventure... Read more
Published on Sep 4 2002 by Second Grade Teacher
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Start of a Fun Series
MY FATHER'S DRAGON tells the story of Elmer Elevator. When he hears the plight of a baby dragon captured and enslaved by the residents of Wild Island, he leaves home to free the... Read more
Published on Feb 14 2002 by Mark Baker
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