My Father's Dragon

A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK When a little boy Elmer strikes up a friendship with an alley cat, he learns of a baby dragon that is being forced to serve as a ferry for the selfish animals of Wild Island. Elmer determines at once to free the dragon, and with a bit of advice from the savvy cat, he arms himself with chewing gum, lollipops, rubber bands and some other unlikely items. With these tools and his own sharp wits, Elmer is prepared to face hungry tigers, cranky crocodiles and other challenges. Both a Newbery Honor Book and an American Library Association Notable Book, this charming story has delighted generations of readers since its original publication in 1948. 'A real delight' - New Yorker

Ruth Stiles Gannett wrote My Father's Dragon just a few years after her graduation in 1944. It was an immediate success, becoming a Newbery Honor Book, and was soon followed by two sequels, Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. All three dragon stories have been continuously in print in America in the more than 70 years since their publication. The author's other books include Katie and the Sad Noise and The Wonderful House-Boat-Train. She was married to the artist and calligrapher Peter Kahn, before his death in 1997. She has seven daughters and eight grandchildren. Visit her online at myfathersdragon.org