39 pages • 1 hour read
My Father's Dragon
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
In Ruth Stiles Gannett’s classic children’s adventure, My Father’s Dragon (1948), nine-year-old Elmer Elevator runs away to rescue a baby dragon held captive by the animals of Wild Island. Elmer must navigate a dense jungle and outwit fearsome adversaries, including tigers, a rhinoceros, and a lion in his expedition and, hopefully, realize his own dream of flying. As Elmer follows his quest, Gannett explores themes of courage, cleverness, and social sensitivity.
My Father’s Dragon received the Newbery Honor Award (1949) and was an ALA Notable Children’s Book Winner (1948). The novel is richly illustrated with whimsical grayscale drawings by Ruth Chrisman Gannett, the author’s stepmother.
My Father’s Dragon was adapted as a Japanese animated film in 1997, and in 2022 as a Netflix original film animated by Cartoon Saloon, featuring the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Jacob Tremblay, Judy Greer, and Rita Moreno, among others. Pagination in this guide refers to the 2006 Yearling edition.
Plot Summary
An unnamed son or daughter of Elmer narrates the story, referring to Elmer as simply “my father.” Elmer befriends an old alley cat and invites her home to live with him, but Elmer’s mother angrily refuses to keep Unlock all 39 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
