Three Tales of My Father's Dragon

My Father's Dragon #1-3

by Ruth Stiles Gannett, Ruth Chrisman Gannett (Illustrator)

Fantasy trilogy of author's supposed parent Elmer Elevator and the flying baby dragon first came out in 1951. Now, on their fiftieth anniversary, Random House is proud to bring the three tales are together in one beautiful commemorative edition, complete with the original color illustrations.
1 My Father's Dragon
2 Elmer and the Dragon
3 The Dragons of Blueland
Each story can stand alone.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Classics, Dragons, Chapter Books, Middle Grade

242 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Ruth Stiles Gannett wrote My Father's Dragon just a few years after her graduation from Vassar College in 1944.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically reserve five stars for great works of literature, but reading this book aloud to my four-year-old was an experience I'd like to never forget. To him, at his age, it absolutely is an amazing piece of literature.

He would have sat through an entire book if I'd let him. Reading just three chapters at a time was hardly a fast enough pace for him. And I was shocked by his comprehension. Even at the end of the first story, he could recall all ten chapters in great detail. He studied the simple drawings on each page and soaked in every word he heard.

The first of the trilogy is the best, but the other two compliment it well. I plan on reading this many more times with him. We both loved it and I would recommend it to anyone who reads chapter books aloud to their children.

[Tanya D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading chapter books to my seven year old, with my four year old kinda listening and mostly jumping on us. We all liked these three tales about Elmer and Boris the dragon. I liked that the chapters are short, good for bedtime and reading aloud. It had fun illustrations every couple page to keep my four-year old interested too. I loved that the story was fun and exciting while at the same time being so simple and innocent. So many "children" books have sad and terrible things happening in them, e.g. parents missing or dead, super mean siblings or peers, scary bad guys, etc. This tale is just a sweet adventure of a boy and a dragon. It made me happy.

[Victor The Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gannett’s story of a boy and his dragon is a wonderfully enchanting story that has plenty of whimsy and discovery. Told in three volumes, we first follow Elmer, a boy who travels to a mysterious island where he ends up rescuing a dragon from savage animals, helps it get home to an island of dragons and save it from possible hunters. An amazing children’s classic that soars high. A (100%/Outstanding)

[Claudia B · Rating 3 out of 5]

O poveste construită din trei povești, despre prietenie, ajutor, colaborare și bunătate. O poveste în care se conturează "imagini" inedite cu animale din junglă care ronțăie dulciuri sau cu dragoni colorați în cele mai ciudate combinații posibile. Mi-a plăcut imaginația și neobișnuitele întâmplări, însă nu am înțeles de ce e vorba de dragonul "tatălui" și de ce autoarea nu oferă unele explicații referitoare la acest lucru. De asemenea au fost unele detalii care, în opinia mea, îi iau puțin din strălucire, însă cartea e veselă, plină de aventuri și de călătorii pe spatele unui dragon. :)

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

As the author states in her introduction, the first story was written for amusement, and practically wrote itself. The second two were more difficult. And in my opinion it shows... they just aren't as lively & enchanting. But then, I've never been a huge fan of the first, so what do I know.... Judge for yourself. Very quick read.

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 5 out of 5]

2021 review: My 7, 5, and 3 year old loved all three of the stories as we read them together. I still think the first story is the best, but my kids seem to like the second two a lot as well 🤷

Original review: My Father's Dragon is a charming children's book, great for a wide range of ages. My three year old loved it almost as much as my five year old and I had a blast reading it to them. The main character is clever and likeable and the writing style kept us all wanting to read more.

The next two stories fell more flat for me. Not as much happens and they're missing the problem solving the boy had to use (by tricking the animals), at least in the same way. My three year old quickly lost interest and I didn't enjoy reading them nearly as much either.

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Tales of My Father's Dragon is the compilation of a children's series written by the author in the 1940's and 50's. The three stories that make up this collection are My Father's Dragon, Elmer and the Dragon, and The Dragons of Blueland. In My Father's Dragon, we meet Elmer Elevator as he ventures out to save a baby dragon. In Elmer and the Dragon, the boy and the dragon continue their adventures together. In The Dragons of Blueland, Elmer once more helps his friend the dragon with troubles that he encounters. Elmer shows foresight and proves himself resourceful time and time again. The stories carry with them the message that careful preparedness and a large does of kindness serve you well.

The stories are told from Elmer's point of view, so there's no use worrying about what his parents think of the situation. We're treated to time spent with innocence and curiosity, time spent away from the real cares of the world such as whether or not you can truly exist on only tangerines for weeks at a time. Our hero is bold with good intentions, and he does worry about his parents from time to time. I thought it was a delightful book, filled with imagination, friendship, and good intentions.

[Kait · Rating 4 out of 5]

After “Mary Poppins,” I was looking for another chapter book series to read with my kiddos and “My Father’s Dragon,” “Elmer & the Dragon,” and “The Dragons of Blueland” was an excellent trilogy. It was silly, cleverly written, and enjoyable to read aloud. I definitely recommend it to families with young kids!

[Christiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I liked it and loved it. My favorite part was the first time he saw the dragon, because the dragon was excited to be free and fly around. And the part when he climbs the ladder up a cliff.” - Mathis

[Michalynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whimsical adventure!

This was a delight. Such a quick read. I remembered reading this in elementary school and thought I'd give it another read through as an adult.

[Razvan Zamfirescu · Rating 3 out of 5]

In categoria sa, cartea isi merita, cu siguranta, calificativul de "clasica". Doar ca ar trebui sa fiti cu bagare de seama pentru ca daca obisnuiti sa cititi cu placere, pe langa fictiunea si non-fictiunea de zi cu zi, si carti gen Mary Poppins sau Roald Dahl, asa cum fac eu, acest titlu s-ar putea sa nu va aduca o placere la fel de mare, de vreme ce cartea are un public mult mai tanar. Daca veti reusi sa o priviti prin ochii unui copil de 5-6 ani, sunt convins ca o veti aprecia, dar eu nu am reusit pana la capat si astfel cred ca am pierdut mult din farmecul cartii.
Totusi, m-am bucurat mult sa o citesc. Impresia care mi-a ramas este ca am urmarit, cu gura cascata, un desen animat vechi, alb-negru, excelent. Prima dintre cele trei carti e cu adevarat grozava si nu ar trebui ratata. De cate ori veti mai avea ocazia sa cititi despre niste tigri care mananca guma de mestecat, sau despre crocodilii care abia asteapta sa primeasca acadele. Dar, pe masura ce se dezvolta, aventura nu mai e la fel de sensibila si nici la fel de palpitanta. Povestea canarilor care se imbolnavesc de curiozitate pentru ca nu stiu de ce regele lor este, la randul sau bolnav de aceasta boala mi s-a parut nemaipomenita, abia astept sa i-o citesc si lui Vladut cand o sa creasca.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, inventive & imaginative. I loved reading these books to each of my children in turn.

[Samuel Steere · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original of the trilogy is near and dear to my heart. Read it with my son and his cousins during the pandemic and loved the whimsical adventure of a kind boy overcoming cruelty with clever curiosity.

After writing a children's musical based on the first book, I realized there were more! I had to know what Elmer and the Dragon got up to! "Elmer and the Dragon" and "The Dragons of Blueland" have a similar cadence and whimsy about them. Talking animals, clever escapes, and the innocence of childhood friendships. While the original book is still my favorite, I can imagine younger readers finding just as much joy in each of the subsequent volumes. An easy and delightful read.

[Dana-Adriana B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multe aventuri, animale salbatice, dragon.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

All three books in the series. I read them to my daughter. She loved them. Its an adventure series (short chapter books) perfect for early readers or for ages 3+ as a parent-read-aloud book. My Father's Dragon was my favorite of the three.

[Elizabeth]

My five year old really liked these books -- what I sometimes thought was really just a catalog of what the main character ate on the road, he saw as action! Exclamation point! With books like these, it's really not about their appeal to me, but their appeal to him, the intended audience. And he really enjoyed the creatures and excitement.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Elmer and the adventures he had in his youth, narrated by his son. There are three separate adventures, but each of them are full of adventure, fun, and the cleverness of Elmer - not to mention his being well prepared with things in his knapsack, which he figures out how best to use in any situation. Elmer travels to an island to save a baby dragon, and that its just the beginning.

Sweet, cute, and a fun adventure story - all three of my kids really enjoyed it, ages ranging from 5 to 15.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very amusing. The kid Elmer is a genius with a touch of smart-aleck, while his parents are worried doofuses, a role reversal which is both reproachable and Chestertonian.

The dialogue quality feels weird, and maybe the whole book feels a bit strange. The artwork feels childish. While this is a strange accusation to level against a children’s book, I think it holds. Seriously. The dragon has the aerodynamics of a barrel, and Elmer looks almost effeminate.

A final note on this book should mention the peculiarity in Book 2 of Elmer’s diet’s consisting in oddly specific numbers of tangerines.

[Shanae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great introduction to chapter books book. My boys read and re-read this series. They're captivated by the adventure and love them all. It gives good problem solving discussions, is fun to read aloud with many voices, and is a short read (I think it was audiobook was 2 hours for all 3 books). Good, light, children's fiction. Perfect for a reader just venturing into chapter books.

[Jerrell Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book includes 3 separate stories: My Father’s Dragon, Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. The first one is the best and if I could do it over, I would probably get a book that only included that one. The other two are cute, but my 4 year old wasn’t really interested in them. We’ll try again next year.

[Mandy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️. This was the first chapter book I attempted to read with my 5 and 3 year old. I didn’t expect the 3 year old to get much out of it (which he didn’t- although he did really like looking at the map in the front and the back) and the 5 year old was just so-so interested in the story. I appreciated how short the chapters were and the illustrations that were throughout. Maybe we’ll have to try it out again in a few years.

[Kelsey]

These were the books that gave me unrealistic expectations about tangerines as a small child. I was so disappointed to learn that they're just a type of small orange! Though I must confess that to this day I still don't know what a skunk cabbage is. I was most fond of book 3, The Dragons of Blueland as a child, and I stand by that now; I think it's the best of the trilogy.

I'm not going to give this a rating, but I do think these stories would probably still appeal to children today, even though they're over half a century old, and that's impressive.

[Ramona Cantaragiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a boy who saves a small dragon and then his family as well. It's nice, the boy gives out candy, no one is really bad, all ends well, and the chapters are short and filled with nice illustrations. But it's just nice, nothing more and not necessarily something to make it a story to remember when you are older.

[Marieke Desmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 4-yo and I listened to this book on tape following along with the pictures. It is a wonderful, whimsical story with sweetness, excitement, and problem solving.

An absolute lovely series and I loved revisiting it with someone who is still wide eyed and interested in solving the plights of rhinos, dragons, and alley cats alike.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, simple, whimsical fantasy story, about a little boy and a dragon. (Actually three stories.) My teens thought this was cute and my little ones liked it quite a lot. So, it was a win all around.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baby dragons, maps, tangarines: Best. Read-aloud. Ever.

[Kirsten Kinnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felix loved this. Read Jan 2018

[Laura Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud with T - he loved it!

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gentle adventure for young children. Could be a good read aloud for young ones.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter says "this book is AMAZING" and "I wish it had an epilogue!"