My Father's Dragon: Three Tales: 50th Anniversary Ed - Hardcover

Gannett, Ruth Stiles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679889116 ISBN 13: 9780679889113

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1997

Synopsis

Three timeless tales in one! Follow the adventures of a boy and his dragon in this beloved trilogy that begins with the Newbery Honor Book My Father’s Dragon, now a Netflix animated film featuring the voices of Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, Whoopi Goldberg, Alan Cumming, and more.

“Irresistible . . . a real delight.”―The New Yorker

First published between 1948 and 1951, My Father’s Dragon, Elmer and the Dragon, and The Dragons of Blueland have delighted generations of young readers. Featuring the original black-and-white illustrations, they showcase all the charms of classic storytelling at its finest.

My Father’s Dragon
When Elmer Elevator hears about a baby dragon being held captive, he stows away on a ship headed for Wild Island, where he meets many exotic animals who try to sidetrack him. One way or another, he will rescue the dragon!

Elmer and the Dragon
Elmer’s new friend offers to fly him home, but a storm forces the baby dragon to make an emergency landing on Feather Island, an exotic place inhabited by all the escaped canaries of the world. Can Elmer save the day one more time?

The Dragons of Blueland
Elmer is safe and sound at home, but hunters have trapped the baby dragon’s family and plan to sell them to zoos all over the world! With time ticking away and the hunters ready to pounce, will Elmer be able to rescue the dragons?

About this title

About the Author

Ruth Stiles Gannett wrote My Father’s Dragon just a few years after her 1944 graduation from Vassar College. An immediate success, it was named 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 since their publication. In 2022, My Father’s Dragon premiered as an animated film on Netflix. Ruth Stiles Gannett died in 2024, at the age of one hundred.

Ruth Chrisman Gannett was already a well-established artist and illustrator when she began collaborating with her stepdaughter on My Father’s Dragon and its sequels. Her pictures for these books are perhaps her most enduring work. Her illustrations can also be seen in the first edition of John Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat and in Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey. Ruth Chrisman Gannett was married to Lewis Gannett, daily book critic for the New York Herald Tribune. She died in 1979.

From the Back Cover

The classic fantasy trilogy of Elmer Elevator and the flying baby dragon has delighted children and their parents for generations. Now, on the occasion of their fiftieth anniversary, Random House is proud to bring the three timeless tales together in one beautiful commemorative edition, complete with the original delightful illustrations. A Newbery Honor Book and an ALA Notable Book, "My Father's Dragon is followed by "Elmer and the Dragon ("rich, humorous, and thoroughly satisfying"*) and "The Dragons of Blueland ("ingenious and plausible, the fantasy well-sustained"*). Each story stands alone, but read in succession, they are an unforgettable experience.*"Library Journal, starred review

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0679889116
• ISBN 13: 9780679889113
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256