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.
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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...
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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.
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Thank you to Fritha Lindqvist and Swift Press for my copy to review. I will be seeking the follow-ups very soon!
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https://www.waterstones.com/book/my-fathers-dragon/ruth-stiles-gannett/9781800750388
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