My Father’s Dragon
Ruth Stiles Gannett
eBook
(Wildside Press, April 21, 2020)
My Father’s Dragon is a 1948 illustrated children’s novel by American author Ruth Stiles Gannett. Narrated by the unnamed son of Elmer Elevator, it tells the story of when a young Elmer traveled to Wild Island to save a dragon hatchling. Elmer uses his creativity and quick thinking to complete his rescue mission. The novel, the first in a trilogy, is followed by Elmer and the Dragon, and The Dragons of Blueland. It has been adapted into both an anime and an animated movie, and was awarded the Newbery Honor, one of the highest awards in children’s literature.The story begins in an unnamed city where Elmer lives as a child. After he befriends an alley cat and decides to take him home, his mother refuses to take the cat in. Though he cannot give him a permanent place to stay, Elmer and the cat remain friends. When Elmer tells the cat about his dream of being able to fly wherever he wants, the cat tells Elmer his story of Wild Island. On the island, a young dragon is enslaved by the local traders, who force him to carry them and their goods back and forth across the river. Elmer resolves to travel to Wild Island to save the baby dragon; the cat helps him pack enough supplies for his trip. Then, Elmer sneaks aboard a ship in the harbor and sets out to sea.