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Three Tales of My Father's Dragon
Last updated Thursday, May 8, 2025
Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett
Date of Publication: 1997
ISBN: 0679889116
Grade Level: 3rd (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: May 2025
Synopsis:
My Father's Dragon
When Elmer Elevator hears about the plight of an overworked and underappreciated baby flying dragon, he stows away on a ship and travels to Wild Island to rescue the dragon.
Elmer and the Dragon
Elmer Elevator and the flying baby dragon help the king of the canaries find treasure.
The Dragons of Blueland
Boris, the baby dragon, is excited to be heading home to Blueland and looks forward to reuniting with his family.
| Note to readers: |
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LANGUAGE ALERT. This book was written in the 1940's, so there is a sentence on page 5 that reflects old-fashioned attitudes toward discipline that aren't acceptable today - 'She whipped my father and threw the cat out the door." It is suggested that you read it as, 'She punished my father...' when you read it to the kids. Or, just read it without the first part of the sentence: She threw the cat out the door, but later on my father sneaked out and found the cat.
If a kid asks about that word or seems uncomfortable, you can respond with a simple explanation, like: “That’s something people might have done a long time ago, but we know now that hurting others isn't okay,” and then gently shift the conversation back to the story.
The line can also be a helpful opportunity to explain how books from different time periods show how much our understanding about what is right has changed over time. If it feels like the right moment, you can ask something like: "How else could the grandmother have shown she was upset?" This invites the kids to think about kinder, more respectful ways people can respond when they're frustrated. Most 3rd graders are old enough to think critically and empathetically about characters' actions
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Three Tales of My Father's Dragon was originally published in 1948. Ruth Gannett's stepmother illustrated the book, and won a Newbery Honor for the illustrations in 1949. Note that the first of the three tales has by far the most illustrations, and the most vivid ones. Even though the third graders are, by now, almost fourth graders, we recommend a picture walk through the first tale. Note: A Netflix movie of this story was released in 2022. Did you see it? The most important detail to know about this book is that there really isn't much dragon in it. It's more about the journey to the dragon, to rescue the dragon, who is at the mercy of a lion, for no very understandable reason. The story is told by the son of the hero, Elmer Elevator, and he does not for a moment doubt the veracity of this childhood tale, and so we don't either. We believe the talkative and sage alley cat who tells Elmer about the captive dragon, Elmer's solo childhood rescue mission to Wild Island and the chatty lion who is fooled by Aesop's Fable-style tricks.
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| Discussion topics for before reading: |
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How many different kinds of animals can you find? Dragon, cat, whale, mouse, boar, tortoise, tigers, rhinocerous, lion, gorilla, monkeys, a flea (page 66), crocodiles. (Answer = 13) What kind of animal do you like to draw?
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Do you like taking trips? How would you use the maps on the inside covers of this book? If you were to draw a map of where you live, would it look like this?
Vocabulary
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obliged - owing
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saucer - a small, flattened dish usually placed under a teacup.
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weep - cry
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knapsack - a type of bookbag that can be worn on the back or put on the end of a stick
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sack - when used for wheat and other grains taken to the town of Cranberry, a very big bag. See if the kids know what a cranberry is!
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boar - wild pig
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tortoise - a land-dwelling member of the turtle family that normally lives in the desert
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gorilla and monkey - a gorilla is a large, ground-dwelling, gentle and intelligent primate. Monkeys are smaller, live in trees and not usually as intelligent as gorillas.
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| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
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How do cats usually talk? Can cats talk like humans? If they did, would they be able to tell this kind of story? Do they usually seem to care about other animals?
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On page 14, Elmer packs his knapsack for his trip. if you were going a a trip for several days, what would you take? What do you think of the things Elmer chooses to pick? How useful do you think they are going to be?
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Have everybody bend one arm all the way tight and see if they feel their own elbows. Do they feel like a potato or an ear of dried corn, or....?
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| Craft ideas: |
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Draw a map of your neighborhood and illustrate it.
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Using a paper bag, make a cat puppet. Draw stripes on the "body" of the cat, use pipe cleaners or yarn for whiskers, draw big eyes or use googly eyes. You could do this for almost any of the animals.
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We have a special set of DRAGON crafts on Pinterest. Follow this link for ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/dragons-dragons-dragons/
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Sunday, May 11th is Mother’s Day; make a greeting card for someone you know.
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*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
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