My Father's Dragon — 5-Minute Cram Guide | Last Night Study
1 · Quick Overview
Author
Ruth Stiles Gannett
Setting
Nevergreen City · Tangerina · Wild Island
Point of view
3rd person (Elmer's son narrates)
Series
Book 1 of 3 (Dragon trilogy)
Elmer's supplies — exam essential: Elmer packs his knapsack very carefully before leaving for Wild Island. He brings: chewing gum, pink lollipops, a rubber band, a magnifying glass, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb, 6 magnifying glasses, a very sharp jackknife, 7 hair ribbons in different colors, elastic, a package of rubber bands, a fine-toothed comb, a toothbrush and toothpaste, 25 peanut butter sandwiches, and 6 apples. Each item is used to cleverly outwit a different animal on Wild Island. Exam tip: "How does Elmer use what he brought to get past the animals?"
2 · Characters
Wild Island animals (obstacles)
Elmer Elevator
Protagonist · Young boy · Age 9
A clever, resourceful nine-year-old boy who lives in Nevergreen City. After hearing about a baby dragon held captive on Wild Island, he decides to rescue it entirely on his own. He does not use force — he uses the supplies in his knapsack to outwit every animal that stands in his way. His greatest strength is quick thinking.
The Old Alley Cat
Elmer's informant · Starts the adventure
A cold, hungry old alley cat that Elmer's mother tries to shoo away. Elmer brings the cat inside, feeds her, and warms her up. In gratitude, the cat tells Elmer about Wild Island — a place where a baby dragon is being held captive by the wild animals and forced to be a flying ferry for them across the river. The cat is the reason Elmer's adventure begins.
The Baby Dragon
The one Elmer rescues
A small, gentle baby dragon with yellow and blue stripes, a red stomach, and rainbow-colored wings. He has been captured by the wild animals of Wild Island and is forced to carry them back and forth across a wide river as a living bridge — a job he hates. He is friendly and delighted when Elmer rescues him. He becomes Elmer's best friend and they fly home together.
The Wild Animals of Wild Island
Obstacles — not truly villains
A series of animals Elmer must get past on his way through the island: wild boars, a lion, a rhinoceros, tigers, a gorilla, a crocodile, and others. None of them are purely evil — they are simply self-interested and suspicious of the small boy in their territory. Elmer outsmarts each one using the items in his knapsack, without ever fighting or hurting anyone.
3 · Core Themes
1
Cleverness over strength
Elmer is a small nine-year-old boy facing tigers, lions, gorillas, and crocodiles. He never fights any of them. Instead he uses the supplies in his knapsack — gum, lollipops, hair ribbons, a toothbrush — to distract and outwit each animal. The novel's central message is that intelligence and preparation are more powerful than physical strength. A clever child can accomplish what a strong adult might fail at. Exam tip: "How does Elmer defeat each animal without fighting?"
2
Kindness is rewarded
The entire adventure begins because Elmer is kind to a hungry alley cat his mother wanted to shoo away. Elmer brings her inside, warms her, and feeds her. In return, she tells him about the baby dragon who needs help. The novel teaches that small acts of kindness — even to a scruffy alley cat — can open doors to unexpected adventures and rewards. Good things come to those who are kind without expecting anything back.
3
Courage and independent action
Elmer does not tell his parents about his plan. He does not ask for adult help. He packs his knapsack carefully and goes — alone — on a boat to Tangerina, sneaks onto Wild Island, and rescues the dragon entirely by himself. For a nine-year-old, this is remarkable independence. The novel celebrates a child who sees a problem and solves it without waiting for grown-ups to act. Exam tip: "Why does Elmer go alone and not tell his parents?"
4
Preparation and planning
Elmer does not rush into Wild Island unprepared. He thinks carefully about what he might need and packs a knapsack full of specific supplies — and every single item turns out to be useful. The novel rewards careful thinking and advance planning. Elmer succeeds not because he is lucky but because he thought ahead. This is a valuable lesson for young readers: preparation makes courage possible.
4 · Plot Summary
Part 1 — The cat's story · Elmer plans his rescue
Ch. 1–2The alley cat · Wild Island · Elmer decides to go
Elmer Elevator is a nine-year-old boy living in Nevergreen City. One rainy evening, a cold and hungry old alley cat appears at their door. Elmer's mother tries to shoo it away, but Elmer sneaks the cat inside, dries her off, and gives her warm milk and food.
The grateful cat tells Elmer a story. Far away, across the sea, there is an island called Wild Island — a jungle island where wild animals live. On this island there is a wide, fast river that the animals cannot cross. They have captured a baby dragon — a small, gentle creature with rainbow wings — and are forcing him to lie across the river as a living bridge, carrying them back and forth all day. The dragon is tied up at night so he cannot escape. He is miserable.
Elmer immediately decides he will go to Wild Island and rescue the dragon. He does not tell his parents. He carefully packs his knapsack with supplies he thinks might be useful — gum, lollipops, hair ribbons, a comb, a toothbrush, a magnifying glass, rubber bands, a jackknife, peanut butter sandwiches, and apples. Then he sneaks away and takes a boat to the island of Tangerina, the stepping stone to Wild Island.
Part 2 — Wild Island · Outwitting the animals one by one
Ch. 3–5The wild boars · The lion · The gorilla
Elmer arrives on Wild Island and sneaks into the jungle. Almost immediately he encounters a group of wild boars blocking the path. He pulls out his chewing gum and drops pieces along the path — the boars smell it, start chewing it, and their jaws get so stuck together they can barely move. Elmer slips past them.
Next he meets a lion with a terribly tangled mane. The lion is in misery from the tangles. Elmer offers to comb them out — he spends a long time carefully combing and untangling the lion's mane. The grateful lion lets him pass.
A gorilla blocks his way next. The gorilla is very vain about his appearance. Elmer gives him the magnifying glass and tells him he can use it to see his face better. The gorilla becomes completely absorbed in looking at himself and forgets about Elmer entirely.
Ch. 6–9The rhinoceros · Tigers · The crocodiles · Finding the dragon
Elmer continues through the jungle, using a different item from his knapsack for each animal he meets. A rhinoceros is impressed by the toothbrush and toothpaste — Elmer brushes his tusk and the rhinoceros is so pleased he steps aside. A group of tigers want to jump rope but have no rope — Elmer gives them elastic bands tied together and they happily jump rope while he passes. A group of monkeys are distracted by the pink lollipops.
The most dangerous obstacle is a row of crocodiles lying across the final stretch of river — Elmer must count them to get across without being eaten. He tricks them into lining up to be counted, then uses their backs as stepping stones to cross the river.
On the far bank, Elmer finds the baby dragon — tied to a stake, looking sad and frightened. Elmer uses his jackknife to cut the ropes. The dragon is free. He is overjoyed. He and Elmer immediately become the best of friends.
The dragon was so happy to be free that he turned seven somersaults in a row and accidentally set fire to a palm tree.
— Narrator, describing the moment Elmer frees the dragon
Part 3 — Escape · Flying home
Ch. 10The animals discover the dragon is gone · Elmer and the dragon fly away
The wild animals discover that their bridge is gone — the dragon has been freed. They are furious and come crashing through the jungle looking for Elmer and the dragon. Elmer and the dragon run. The animals are gaining on them.
Then Elmer realizes: the dragon can fly. He climbs onto the dragon's back. The dragon spreads his rainbow-colored wings and lifts them both into the air — up and over the jungle, over the river, over the sea — and they fly away from Wild Island together, free.
The novel ends with Elmer and the dragon flying home toward Nevergreen City. The narrator — who is Elmer's son, telling this story years later — says that the dragon became his father's best friend and that this was only the beginning of their adventures together. The book is the first in a trilogy: Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland follow.
5 · Cram Quiz
Read straight through — all answers are visible. Read once, close the page, walk into the exam.
Q1. How does Elmer find out about the baby dragon? What does this show about kindness?
A. Elmer finds out about the baby dragon from an old alley cat that his mother tried to shoo away. Elmer sneaks the cat inside, warms her, and gives her milk and food — purely out of kindness, expecting nothing in return. The grateful cat tells him about the dragon being held captive on Wild Island. The story shows that small acts of genuine kindness are rewarded in unexpected ways. If Elmer had ignored the cat as his mother wanted, he never would have known about the dragon at all.
Q2. Why is the baby dragon being held captive on Wild Island? How is he being treated?
A. The baby dragon has been captured by the wild animals of Wild Island because they need a way to cross a wide, fast river on the island. They force the dragon to lie across the river as a living bridge — carrying animals back and forth on his back all day long. At night he is tied to a stake so he cannot escape. He is miserable. He is being used as a tool by animals who do not care about his happiness or well-being at all.
Q3. How does Elmer get past the wild boars?
A. Elmer drops pieces of chewing gum along the path. The wild boars smell the gum and start chewing it eagerly — but the gum sticks their jaws together so they can barely open their mouths. While the boars are distracted and stuck, Elmer slips quietly past them. He uses the boars' own appetite against them, turning their greediness into an obstacle for themselves.
Q4. How does Elmer get past the lion and the gorilla?
A. The lion has a terribly tangled mane and is in misery. Elmer offers to comb out the tangles with his comb. He spends a long time carefully untangling the lion's mane, and the grateful lion lets him pass. The gorilla is very vain about his appearance. Elmer gives him the magnifying glass so he can examine his own face more closely — the gorilla becomes so absorbed in looking at himself that he completely forgets about Elmer. In both cases, Elmer identifies what the animal wants most and gives it to them.
Q5. How does Elmer cross the river guarded by crocodiles?
A. A row of crocodiles lies across the final stretch of the river, and Elmer must get past them without being eaten. He tricks them into lining up to be counted — he tells them he needs to count them for some official-sounding reason. The crocodiles line up obediently. Elmer then walks across their backs as stepping stones, counting as he goes, and crosses the river safely. He uses their vanity and desire to be counted (to be important) against them.
Q6. How do Elmer and the dragon escape from Wild Island at the end?
A. After Elmer frees the dragon, the wild animals discover their bridge is gone and come crashing through the jungle in pursuit. Elmer and the dragon run but the animals are gaining on them. Then Elmer remembers — the dragon can fly. He climbs onto the dragon's back, the dragon spreads his rainbow-colored wings, and they lift off into the air above the jungle and the river and fly away over the sea to safety. The dragon's ability to fly is the ultimate escape — something none of the land animals can follow.
Q7. What is the narrative frame of the story? Who is telling it?
A. The story is told by Elmer's son — the narrator is looking back and telling the story of how his father, as a nine-year-old boy, rescued a baby dragon who became his best friend. This framing device (a child telling his father's childhood adventure) gives the story a warm, nostalgic quality. It also suggests that the dragon and Elmer went on to have many more adventures — which they do in the two sequel books.
Q8. Essay question: How does Gannett use Elmer's knapsack supplies to develop the theme of cleverness over strength?
A. Use three examples: (1) The chewing gum and the boars — Elmer cannot overpower a group of wild boars, but he can distract them with something they want. He uses their appetite against them. (2) The comb and the lion — Elmer cannot fight a lion, but he can identify what the lion needs (relief from tangles) and provide it. He turns a dangerous obstacle into a grateful ally. (3) The crocodiles and counting — Elmer cannot swim past crocodiles, but he can trick them into lining up for him by appealing to their desire to be counted and recognized. In every case, Elmer wins not through size or strength but by observing what each animal wants and using that knowledge. Thesis: In My Father's Dragon, Gannett argues that a prepared, observant mind is the most powerful tool a person can carry — more useful than any weapon and available to even the smallest child.
About this page: This is an educational summary created for student exam preparation. All plot descriptions are original summaries of the novel's events — not copied text. Direct quotations are clearly attributed.
Quoted works:
· My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett. New York: Random House, 1948. Short quotation used for educational commentary under fair use.
This page is a study aid for students. All quotations are clearly attributed to their original sources. For a richer and fuller experience, we encourage you to read the original book.
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