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My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, Bk 1)
My Father's Dragon - My Father's Dragon, Bk 1
Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett
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...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780394890487
ISBN-10: 0394890485
Publication Date: 11/12/1987
Pages: 96
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 55

4 stars, based on 55 ratings
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Psalm150 avatar reviewed My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, Bk 1) on + 275 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
One of our family's favorite books. We liked it so well, we had to go and look for the sequels.
reviewed My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, Bk 1) on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is the first in a trilogy about a little boy who rescues an oppressed baby dragon...very funny, very cute! I read this aloud to my 4,5, and 7 year old boys and they LOVED it!
EagerReaders avatar reviewed My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, Bk 1) on + 29 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An easy-to-read tale of a boy who sets out to free a dragon and has adventures along the way. A nice tale of using one's head and being prepared.
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reviewed My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, Bk 1) on
used in Sonlight kindergarten
ophelia99 avatar reviewed My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
I got a copy of this book to read with my five year old son. It is a very fun and clever childrens read with some great lessons and some wonderful illustrations.

When Elmer Elevator hears about the plight of a poor overworked baby dragon from an old neighborhood cat he is determined to save the dragon. He travels to Wild Island and, through a series of crazy events, saves the dragon from the animals keeping it prisoner.

This book was first published in 1948 and I am amazed at how well it has aged. The writing is fairly simple and is definitely at a younger level but it still made for an excellent story. There are a couple spots where the language is a bit archaic but not many.

Elmer Elevator encounters a number of less than friendly animals and for each encounter he finds a clever (and sometimes hilarious) way to distract the animals. For example he gives the rhino a toothbrush and toothpaste for his very dirty horn and he gives the tigers chewing gum. It was great fun to see how Elmer would combat the next group of animals.

Additionally all the lands have wonderfully fun names. Elmer lives in the land of Popsicornia and travels through Tangerina (known for its tangerines) to get to Wild Island.

Elmer uses cleverness instead of violence or force to get through his adventures. He also frees the poor baby dragon from slavery. All while eating tangerines. The only part of the story parents might object to is the fact that Elmer runs away from his parents at the age of nine to do all of this.

My son loved this book and immediately wanted to start on the second book of the trilogy, Elmer and the Dragon. The pictures throughout are fun and wonderfully done. They match the tone of the story excellently.

Overall a wonderful fantasy read for children. This is a chapter book but is written at a lower reading level that is easy for younger children (5+) to understand even if they cant quite read it yet. Elmer uses cleverness and humor to survive his noble adventure. The wonderful pictures only add to the excellent story. Highly recommended to read with kids, especially those interested in adventure and fantasy.
reviewed My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, Bk 1) on
My eight-year-old reports, "I really liked it! It was funny." This one was gobbled up in the first evening after it arrived.
grammyteach avatar reviewed My Father's Dragon (My Father's Dragon, Bk 1) on + 192 more book reviews
classic tale with great illustrations


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