Title: My Father’s Dragon
Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett
Illustrator: Ruth Chrisman Gannett
Publication Year: 1948
Age Group: Kindergarten, Early Elementary, Mid Elementary
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Recommended By:
- 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
- 100 Best Books for Children
- The Read-Aloud Handbook
- Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
- What to Read When
- The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children
Comments: I tried reading this to my first child right around his third birthday, but despite the occasional picture, he was clearly not ready for it yet. I tried again a year later on his fourth birthday and it was perfect. The only small issue was that the story features a number of “scary” and “mean” animals that want to eat the main character, Elmer, such as a lion and rhinoceros, which are really not at all threatening, but had my preschooler a little concerned. The story is extremely formulaic, and therefore predictable in a way that is awesome for young kids. After the first few chapters which are a little different, each chapter consists of Elmer meeting a mean animal and tricking him in a silly way into not eating him. I also love that each chapter is only a few pages long, the perfect length for a first chapter book read-aloud. I should note that there are two sequels in this trilogy. The first book, My Father’s Dragon, was my favorite, though the second, Elmer and the Dragon, was my 4 year old’s favorite, I think because there really weren’t any “bad guys” at all, just a little unfortunate weather.
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