Amazon.com

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) ... Read more

Reviews (25)

A favorite read aloud book!
These three adventurous tales by Ruth Gannett kept my 5 year old son spellbound night after night--he continually begged me to read "just one more chapter!" and we are almost finished with our second time reading it. The trilogy begins with the main character, Elmer Elevator, venturing away from home to save a baby dragon from being abused by the animals of Wild Island. What follows are a series of Elmer's and the baby dragon's exciting adventures. This is a great read aloud book for ages 5-9!

Outstanding read-aloud book, very clever story
Much like Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm, the My Father's Dragon trilogy is a fun read, and has a mixture of absurdity and humor that appeals on multiple levels. It's an easy read to a toddler, with several pictures throughout, and journey maps on the inner covers.

Since the chapters are short, you can do two or three a night without losing continuity. At the same time, the story has enough depth and cleverness that the parent can remain engaged. Thus, it's a catalyst for bonding.

One of the things that makes it special is the main character. Elmer Elevator, on the advice of a stray cat, starts out on a noble odyssey to free a baby dragon from its animal tormentors. In his preparation, Elmer packs dozens of seemingly useless items, including a magnifying glass, brush, sandwiches, and lollipops. While he travels across Wild Island, all these items become essential, and you wonder if the story was being told by MacGyver :-)

We've read the trilogy to completion five times and it's still a hit with everyone.

Delightful Surprise
I was browsing the list of audiocassettes and happened across "Three Tales of My Father's Dragon." I read the other reviews and decided to buy it for my son (who is 4). We absolutely fell in love with all three stories! We listen to it ALL the time! We leave one cassette in the house to listen to at night and one in the car. We have had the tapes for two months and have not tired of listening to them. My son just laughs and loves all the aspects of these stories. The acting of all the characters is so vibrant and you quickly realize that each character has his own distinct personality and voice! I would HIGHLY reccomend these stories! They are fantastic!

My Fathers Dragon
My Fathers dragon written by R.S.G, may be the best book ever! Elmer is a boy who lives in Evergreen city. One day he meets a cat who tells him about a Dragon .The was trapped on Wild Island and Elmer goes to save him, On the way he tricks a lot of animals. One of them was when he gives lollipops to crocodiles to make a bridge. Does he save the dragon? Read this book to find out!

I love this book and recommend it to anyone who likes to imagine, loves excitement, adventure and danger! It's celebrating 50 years in print, I think it is perfect the way it is! With this book you can experience the magic!

Dragons and Adventure - What Kid Wouldn't Love it?
This volume is the complete set of tales about Elmer and his friend the dragon, including the fun illustrations. The complete set includes "My Father's Dragon," "Elmer and the Dragon," and "The Dragons of Blueland."

These stories are perfect first chapter books for kids. The vocabulary is simple and the chapters are short. I'd forgotten just how short until I started rereading them. Yet the stories are packed full of adventure. Elmer is especially resourceful, and I still get a kick out of how he takes the simplest things and makes them work in whatever situation he finds himself.

Whether kids read these stories themselves or listen to them being read, they're sure to become favorites. And adults will enjoy the clever story lines as well. ... Read more

Amazon.com

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) ... Read more

Reviews (35)

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. One of his adventures is rescuing a baby dragon that has been captured by animals, and taken to Wild Island to be used as a way to get across the river there. Elmer hears this news from a stray ally cat that he finds one day, and decides he's going to run away and go to Wild Island to free this dragon. Elmer has to outsmart a bunch of animals to get to the dragon, but it's easy for him because he's really clever. I thought the book was very exciting and fun to read. It's the kind of book you don't want to put down and want to read it over and over again. I gave this book such a good rating because it was fun; I never got tired of it. It was a great book!!!! I would recommend it to anyone that likes thrilling and adventurous books. I liked this book because it was easy to understand, it's funny, and exciting. It's a fun book to read to your self, or to a little brother or sister. No matter how old you are you will always enjoy it. This book is ten chapters long with about 5 to 6 pages each chapter and the chapters are very easy to read. This book would be good for kids that are starting to read chapter books because the words in it are easy to understand and it has pictures in it and they are very detailed. Also in every book there is a detailed map showing where things are and where Elmer went and it's really fun to look at them. I had a great time reading the book.

an unexpected new favorite
I've been expecting my seven year old son to become, like the rest of the world, an addict of the Harry Potter books, but no dice.

Instead, he came home from his multi-age class rhapsodizing about a book I had never heard of...My Father's Dragon. And although I haven't read it (yet), I can tell you for sure what happens in the first five chapters, because my son tells us all with such verve and enthusiasim about the adventures that take place there! How the narrator's father gets out of the tigers, and builds a bridge with the crocodiles are two of his favorite parts, and the words "Bome Cack! Bome Cack!! have entered our vocabularies probably forever.

I think the three books in this series will be entering our household at Christmas time, and I can't wait to read them myself!

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. We think it is fiction, because dragons are not really real and animals can not talk. A cat told Elmer about Wild Island and Tangerina, and the dragon who was there that was tied up in a rope. But he also told the father, Elmer Elevator, that there was ferocious animals on the island. Elmer Elevator frees the dragon because he was a very smart boy.
We liked this story because it is a really good story about a dragon and a father when he was a nine year old boy. It was a LITTLE funny and it was a really BIG adventure.

Dragon Rescue
This book is by Ruth Stiles Gannet. It is fiction because a dragon is in it and animals talk in it. Ruth Stiles Gannet wrote My Father's Dragon a couple years after finishing college in 1944. This book was a great success and won a Newberry award.

The main character is a boy named Elmer. Elmer wishes he could fly. He finds a stray cat that knows a dragon that can take him on a flying ride. Before he can do that, Elmer has to free the dragon from Wild Island that has an extremely thick forest. The dragon is a slave of the animals in the jungle and is used to fly them across the river on the island. To free the dragon, Elmer has to get by vicious animals that want to eat him.

My Father's Dragon makes me feel that I'm in a jungle getting chased by ferocious animals. I loved reading this book because Elmer goes on a gigantic adventure. I recommend this book for people who like reading adventurous stories. Also, it won the Newberry award.

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. This book, first in a series of three, engages a child's imagination in a story that is complete make-believe. The story begins when Elmer Elevator (the narrator's father as a boy) runs away with an old alley cat to help rescue a flying baby dragon that is being mistreated on faraway Wild Island. While at Wild Island, he encounters tigers, a rhinoceros, lions, gorillas, and monkeys. Elmer uses the things he carries in his backpack to fight off all of the wild animals on his way to save the dragon. A few of the items that he uses are pink lollipops, rubber bands, chewing gum, and a fine-toothed comb. It is through these crazy adventures that Elmer eventually rescues the dragon from its torment. My Father's Dragon is a hilarious tale that will keep children laughing and will induce creativity. This book allows the children's imaginations to run wild. The author, Ruth Stiles Gannett, continued this style of writing in the last two of the trilogy, Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. ... Read more

Book Description

A stand-alone sequel to My Father's Dragon, in which Elmer Elevator and the flying baby dragon help the king of the canaries find treasure. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A curious story
I am reading this in my first grade class. I can't wait to get to the next book. People in this story are so curious. Once you start it, you want to get to the end and find out what happens.

great boy's book
I remember hearing these stories as a child and loving them, now my son is loving them too. I would recommend these to kids ready to listen to simple chapter books. The stories are cleverly written so adults can enjoy the reading too. We like to read this series aloud to the kids, and if you read one they will want you to read all of them! Some nice illustrations accompany the stories.

The Journey Home
Freeing the dragon in the first book (My Father's Dragon) was only half the journey. Elmer now needs to get back home. The dragon is so thankful he offers the boy a ride. But when a storm blows them off course, they find themselves on an island with canaries that are dieing of curiosity. Can they help the birds and still get Elmer home in time for his father's birthday?

This book is a fun sequel to the original. It doesn't quite hold up to the nonsensical fun of the first one, but is still a great read. Early readers will enjoy being able to get through the short chapters themselves and should enjoy the plot and characters.

This series is the perfect series to use to introduce kids to reading. They'll be able to handle the story and characters well and enjoy the journey to another world. Pick them up today and start them on the road to exploring other worlds through books.

Don't Forget To Read Elmer And The Dragon!
Elmer And The Dragon by Ruth Stills Gannet

Have you ever ridden on a dragon? This book is about Elmer and the dragon. After Elmer rescued the dragon from Wild Island the dragon was going to fly Elmer home. But a storm hit and blew Elmer and the Dragon off course. They landed on a sandbar a couple yards from an island. The next morning Elmer and the Dragon went to the island. When they got to the island the Dragon said ," I'm stiff." Will Elmer and the Dragon get off the island?

I liked the part when the Dragon ate some tangerine peels and said they were delicious. It was kind of funny because tangerine peels would be gross to eat!

I think the author was trying to show people perseverance. Elmer and the Dragon were trying to go home when the storm hit. Even though they ended up on a sandbar, they still kept trying to get home.

Such wonderful childhood memories
This book, along with the other two, were my favorites around 3rd or 4th grade. They are exciting and fun and emotional. Any child that reads these will remember them forever! ... Read more

Book Description

The third volume of theMy Father's Dragon trilogy, this adventure may be enjoyed on its own. Here, the baby dragon summons Elmer to help save his family from hunters. "Elmer's plan is ingenious and plausible, the fantasy well-sustained."--(starred) Library Journal. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Elmer's adventures come to an end
Elmer has arrived safely home, but not for long. When his friend the Dragon leaves to find his own family, he discovers they've been taken prisoner by some men who want to sell them to zoos. Now the Dragon must find Elmer in time to help his family without being spotted by other humans. But what if Elmer can't come up with a plan?

This is the final in the My Father's Dragon series. It lives up to the second book, but both fall a little short of the creativity and humor of the first. Still, fans will want to know how the series ends and won't be disappointed with the story presented here. As with the others, the storyline and vocabulary are perfect for the beginning reader or as a read aloud story.

This series is a great way to introduce kids to the joys of reading. Parents will also enjoy the clever fantasy storylines. This is a fun book in a fun series that will entertain children of all ages.

4.5* Excellent Old-Fashioned Dragon Tale!
I love children's books that open with a map, and the "Dragons of Blueland" (the third in Gannett's series about the dragon) promises adventures in such exciting locales as "Seaweed Bay," "The Awful Desert," "Popsicornia," and the "Spiky Mountain Range."

The book delivers, as Elmo Elevator, a "brave boy of nine," helps his dragon friend Boris rescue his family. The story is comforting yet cleverly exciting and humorous. The soft black and white illustrations (done by the author's stepmother, who also did the illustrations for the first edition of Steinbeck's "Tortilla Flat") are a gentle compliment to the text. First published in 1951, this is good fun!

Could have been better
Not every childrens book can be The Wizard of Oz, Charlotte's Web or James and the Giant Peach. My son and I liked this one, but I'm sure within a few months we will have forgotten what is was about. It just wasn't very memorable.

One to read over and over again
I bought this book without ever having heard of it or the author; but my son was having a dragon birthday theme, so I took a chance. What wonderful luck. It is good for children age 4 to 40! We have read it numerous times and the chapters provide comfortable break points as well. This book stirs the imagination and keeps the reader and listener interested!

I love this book.
I like this book because it's very adventurous. They find a lot of really cool things. I like all the things they make-believe and the way everything is drawn. All the things they make in the book are really creative.

Rachel Davis, age 7 ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Horn Book Magazine, published by Horn Book, Inc. on January 1, 1995. The length of the article is 1538 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: My Father's Dragon.(Children's Review)
Author: Bryna J. Fireside
Publication: The Horn Book Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 1995
Publisher: Horn Book, Inc.
Volume: v71Issue: n1Page: p90(2)

Article Type: Book Review, Children's Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more