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From time to time, everyone wants a safe book bet.You know it's true.
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| Elmer Elevator and Boris |
Yes, the power of a "safe book" for the evening when you are wary of possible rejection from your - sometimes - fickle or impatient junior audience.
So today, Read Aloud Dad answers the question on every parent's mind.
"Can you help me find a classic book that will:
a. be equally enjoyed by young listeners and the reader,
b. make us laugh and which will keep surprising us with the unexpected twists and turns of its story, and
c. be enjoyed by different generations at the same time
Tall order, indeed.
Good news - my palms are itching - I've got a classic that fits the bill!
So Good You Must Read It Aloud
"I must smell tumduddy. I mean, I must tell somebody!"Mouse in My Father's Dragon
If you happened to skip over the initial quote at the very start of this review ("One cold rainy day when my father was a little boy...", please go back and read it.
Can you imagine a book that starts like that ... and then ends up boring. No way!
The two main characters of this book, a boy named Elmer Elevator and his baby dragon friend Boris, have been entertaining young readers for more than half a century!
This Newbery Honor Book is an comic adventure, wrapped up in an exciting escapade!
After Elmer Elevator finds the old alley cat on the street, he invites her home.
At home, Elmer feeds the cat and then it cat tells Elmer about a wonderful and mysterious pair of islands - The Island of Tangerina and The Wild Island.
Guess what ensues?
Yes - a trip to the islands.
The point of the trip is for Elmer to reach the Wild Island (after crossing over a "bridge" of stepping stones from Tangerina Island) to save an over-worked baby dragon that is being used by the wild animals as a flying bridge between the two rocks in the sea.
The More the Merrier
The best part of this edition of the book is that Three Tales of My Father's Dragon is in fact a treasury that combines three individual books written by Ruth Stiles Gannet.
After the success of her first creation - My Father's Dragon - she followed it up with two equally great sequels: Elmer and The Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland.
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| My Father's Dragon |
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| Elmer and The Dragon |
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The Dragons of Blueland |
"When I wrote it, I had no idea that my story about Elmer and his dragon would become such a success. My Father's Dragon was written to amuse myself between jobs. I wrote it for fun, with no expectation of publication. What a happy surprise it was when Random House accepted it!"
I love the fact that her fabulous yarn about a boy, an alley cat and a baby dragon was a family project.
While Ruth Stiles Gannet wrote the stories, the illustrations were done by her stepmother Ruth Chrisman Gannet and the author's husband-to-be chose the type!
Just shows how enthusiasm in the universe of children's books often trumps pure business motivations.
A family book in every sense of the word.
A family book in every sense of the word.
One of the most curious elements of My Father's Dragon is the choice of "my father" as the main subject of the book.
The book constantly refers to "my father" as the hero, bringing a special magic and intimacy to My Father's Dragon. It's a nice stylistic trick that works well in my opinion.
The two sequels are not merely a nice addition in this treasury, they are more like a life-saver.
So instead of just reading and re-reading My Father's Dragon (the first story), with this treasury you can simply go on and read the remaining two stories about Elmer - which are equally as fascinating.
This is a perfect "first" chapter book for you kids, with chapters that are of the perfect size with lots of illustrations sprinkled through the text.
There is one thing that I love above all. The humor is simply sparkling!
My twins, who were much younger when we read this for the first time, had the time of their lives laughing at and with the quirky animals in this book.
The humor in the book is the real magic that makes everything come together in such a fantastic way.
Read Aloud Dad gives his highest praise for Three Tales of My Father's Dragon.
This is simply a book that you must have on your home bookshelf!
Happy reading,
Read Aloud Dad
Where to buy
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Amazon.com (US) – Check price
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Amazon.ca – Check price
Bookshop.org – Check price
Better World Books – Check price
AbeBooks – Check price
Amazon UK – Check price
Tip: choose your local store for fastest delivery and the right edition.
Further resources for parents (opens in new window – not affiliate links):
- MyFather’sDragon.org – Ruth Stiles Gannett bio + family notes: A solid, human-scale overview of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s life and the long afterlife of Elmer Elevator and the dragon
- Lebanon Opera House – My Father’s Dragon study guide (PDF): Well-made discussion prompts and activities that fit the story’s humor, problem-solving, and “how did Elmer do it?” energy
- GeekMom – “75 Years of My Father’s Dragon”: A readable deep-dive into editions, illustrations, and why the book keeps finding new families
- What to Read to Your Kids – “Chapter-a-Night Adventure” (read-aloud notes): A practical, parent-voice take on pacing, chapter length, and why kids beg for “one more”
- Greenish Bookshelf – review of My Father’s Dragon / Three Tales: A clear, book-centered review that covers the trilogy-as-treasury appeal and what makes Elmer’s world so addictive
- Rosanne Parry – “Middle Grade Monday” review: A thoughtful look at why the writing and the humor still work (without “modernizing” the charm away)