Elmer and the Dragon
Part of the My Father’s Dragon Series

Elmer and the Dragon

Grades 3–7
Ages 8–12

A boy and his dragon explore a mysterious new island in this charming tale featuring the original black-and-white illustrations—from the author of My Father’s Dragon, hailed as “a real delight” (The New Yorker) and now a Netflix animated film

“Rich, humorous, thoroughly satisfying.”—Library Journal (starred review)

After his exciting adventures on Wild Island, Elmer Elevator is ready to go home. Luckily, his new friend, the baby dragon, offers to fly him there. But when a storm forces them to make an emergency landing, they find themselves on Feather Island. This exotic place is inhabited by all the escaped canaries of the world and ruled by King Can XI, a curious canary desperately searching for buried treasure. Can clever Elmer use his creativity to save the day one more time?

First published in 1950, Elmer and the Dragon has delighted generations of young readers. It is classic storytelling at its finest.

Read all of Elmer’s adventures!
My Father’s Dragon
The Dragons of Blueland

Praise for My Father’s Dragon

“Here is a real delight—a nonsense tale in which the ingenuity of the humor and the logic of the nonsense are irresistible.”—The New Yorker

“The power of My Father’s Dragon lies in the author’s assurances that while the adults in our lives can set things right some of the time, children will also become strong and clever enough to take care of themselves, and, when the time comes, will rescue their own children.”—The Horn Book

ISBN 9780739339114 (Audiobook Download)
Published on Nov 11, 2008
Published by Listening Library
Age Range 8-12 years
Grade Grades 3-7
Reading Level Lexile: 800L | Fountas/Pinnell: M

ISBN 9780440421368 (Paperback)
Published on Mar 13, 2007
Published by Yearling
Pages 96
Dimensions 5-3/16 x 7-5/8
Age Range 8-12 years
Grade Grades 3-7
Reading Level Lexile: 800L | Fountas/Pinnell: M

ISBN 9780394890494 (Paperback)
Published on Nov 12, 1987
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages 96
Dimensions 6-1/8 x 8
Age Range 8-12 years
Grade Grades 3-7
Reading Level Lexile: 800L | Fountas/Pinnell: M

Ruth Stiles Gannett

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.

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