Children's Writer, Book Reviewer, Teacher, Artist
Soon to be a new Netflix film from the studio that produced 'The Secret of Kells', 'My Father's Dragon' is a charming, little adventure that has been a highly-regarded classic in America. Re-introduced to the UK by Swift Press and the first part of a trilogy, this is a timeless story to fill your heart.
Elmer Elevator decides to set off on an adventure to Wild Island, after hearing from an alley cat that a dragon is being held captive, treated as transport for the lazy animals that live there. Determined to find the dragon, Elmer sets off on a ferry to the island, packing many important provisions that will certainly become useful, including: chewing gum, pink lollipops, toothpaste and 25 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. But on Wild Island the animals are not best pleased that an intruder has arrived...
Recently, children's author Piers Torday has written that animals have dwindled in fiction since 1835 (see: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/oct/01/are-animals-disappearing-from-novels-piers-torday-wild-before) . So it's a delight to read a book originally published in 1948 that is packed full of animals, including a dragon, of course. This is light, endearing prose with pace like a folk-tale. Beautiful, vivid illustrations bloom throughout and it's impossible not to be swept up in the book's innocent charm. One for younger readers, but to be enjoyed by all, this is a forgetten classic deserving of your attention. You will hungrily eat it up like a gorilla with a lollipop.
Thank you to Fritha Lindqvist and Swift Press for my copy to review. I will be seeking the follow-ups very soon!
https://www.waterstones.com/book/my-fathers-dragon/ruth-stiles-gannett/9781800750388