#72 My Father's Dragon

My Father’s Dragon is, to quote the book jacket, “classic storytelling at its finest.” Young Elmer Elevator befriends a stray cat and, in turn, learns of a dragon that is being held captive on Wild Island.  Told from the perspective of Elmer’s child, we learn of Elmer’s adventures to and on the island, during which he meets a tiger, a gorilla and many other wild creatures.  Using quick thinking and determination, he maneuvers his way past the wild animals and helps the dragon to escape.

A short, delightful read, My Father’s Dragon makes me think of the days when I will sit with my own children and read stories upon stories to them.  Days when they will find joy in the words that accompany the pictures they love so well.  Days when they will realize that the funny shapes on the page next to the pictures actually mean something.  Days when they want to discover on their own what those shapes mean.

My Father’s Dragon reminded me of the days when I was first learning to read.  The days when I craved the stories that my parents read to me so badly that I had to figure out how they knew those wonderful tales.  It is stories such as this one that create in young ones the need to read.

My Father’s Dragon

by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Originally published in 1948

About these ads