Saturday, March 08, 2008

My Father's Dragon


Gannett, Ruth Stiles. 1948. My Father's Dragon.

Originally published in 1948, My Father's Dragon is a classic children's book that is perfectly suited for read aloud. Starring Elmer, a young boy, and Boris, a blue and yellow striped dragon, the book is full of one adventure after another. It begins off simply enough, "One cold rainy day when my father was a little boy, he met an old alley cat on his street." The boy, Elmer, is the narrator's "father" and these adventures are "tales" of what happened long ago and far away. (Sometimes the boy is called "my father" and sometimes he is called "Elmer.") He is the sort of boy that dreams of adventures, that dreams of dragons, that dreams of faraway lands. And it is this opportune meeting with an alley cat that is the start of it all. What I liked best about this one is that it is funny, creative, and resourceful. I like the way the boy is able to "think" his way out of each new danger. I also enjoy the illustrations by Ruth Chrisman Gannett. They're delightful for the most part.

The book was a Newbery Honor book in 1949.

96 pages.

4 comments:

Shelley said...

I read this to my kids many years ago, as well as the other two in the set. Delightful is the perfect word to describe them. Great read-aloud material.

wonderlandchick said...

I adore this series! One of my grade school teachers read them to our class.

Jeane said...

I loved this book and its sequels when I was a kid! I hadn't thought of it in years. Thanks for the reminder. Just seeing the cover image there made me smile.

Kim said...

Wonderful. All four of my kids loved these when they were younger. I caught my 22 year old son reading the first one out loud to his girlfriend over the phone one night when he was home from college for the holidays. I love that he remembered them and wanted to share that memory with her!
*smiles*
Kim