Reader discussion: My Father's Dragon

Public reader discussion about My Father's Dragon in the WeRead Catalog by Ruth Stiles Gannett.

[TOMT][BOOK] Kids book where a boy goes on an adventure and they eat tangerines.

By envelope_tide

I read this like 15 years ago, and I’m 25 now, so my memory is super fuzzy. I *think* there’s a kid who ends up making friends with some kind of animal/creature—maybe something along the lines of Where the Wild Things Are? I also remember a backpack moment where they packed a bunch of tangerines, and it feels like those tangerines mattered a lot to the whole adventure. Can anyone help? This just randomly popped into my head and it’s been driving me nuts.

A dragon book

By aqua_cougar30

If I can track down the book, I’ll probably be convinced the internet actually works. I read it back in the mid-90s—about a boy and a dragon. I mostly remember them having to walk around or up this big mountain for some reason. The cover had that older fantasy look, like the kind with painted dragons and grim vibes. I don’t even know if it was a series or just one book. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t one of the big ones everyone knows (like Eragon). I was always in the library, so it feels like it came out of some dusty back section.

First look at Kindred Spirits by Cartoon Saloon (an Irish animation studio which made The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers)

By jar967

This story has two kids who are kind of all alone—an Irish refugee in New York in 1847, and a Choctaw kid away from his family’s warmth. I’m not 100% sure how everything lines up, but it sounds like when MARA and TUSHKA finally cross paths they go on this huge adventure with lots of magical stuff, and there’s also Mara’s brother DAN watching over them because he can’t really move on. It feels like it’s really about finding people you can call family and someplace that feels like home, and I like that it’s tied to the Irish and Choctaw connection.

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett [Fantasy](1948)

By amber-fish

As a kid, Elmer Elevator runs off with this old alley cat to try and save a baby dragon that’s flying around being used/exploited on some faraway island. And somehow he manages to handle the scariest beasts on Wild Island, using a bunch of pink lollipops, rubber bands, chewing gum, and even a comb. It’s kind of odd, but it works, I guess.

Recs for me to read aloud to 5 yr old?

By shelfMarten1979

My daughter has just started enjoying it when I read out loud, and I’m really hoping to get her into fantasy. Any good age-appropriate books you’d recommend?

kid friendly dragon book recs

By CoffeeDuck738

We’re heading out on a road trip this weekend, and I asked my 5-year-old what she wanted to listen to on the way. She immediately said “dragons,” lol. Any good dragon audio books that are fun enough to keep me and the kids entertained?

Suggest me a book similar to My Father’s Dragon

By ChapterMountain

This one (and the two follow-ups) ended up being one of the first chapter books my 3-year-old actually really liked. We’ve been reading it to him too. Any chance you can recommend another book or series with a similar vibe that’s also appropriate for his age? He’ll be turning 4 next week.

Need fantasy books that a 7 year old could read!

By ivory-lynx67

My 7-year-old has been struggling to get into reading by himself, but he’s really into dragons and mythology. I’m hoping there’s a fantasy series that’s super easy for a beginner—like even easier than Magic Tree House—so he can read it on his own. Any suggestions?

Kids' books, preferably with friendly dragons

By HardcoverVolume74

I’m trying to find a few good book suggestions for my sister’s kids—5 and 8 (in December). They’re super into dragons right now, especially since they just finished How to Train Your Dragon and are working through The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, so dragon books would be ideal. But honestly I’ll take anything that’s age-appropriate too.

More age appropriate adventure type books.

By Red_Field

I’ve been reading The Hobbit to my 4-year-old every night before bed. One night he couldn’t fall asleep after I finished, so he asked me to keep reading whatever I had. My other books aren’t always kid-appropriate, so I switched to The Hobbit. He hasn’t asked for any of his usual books in about a month, which is a little shocking—in the past it was Dogman or those tractor-type books every single night. I’m totally fine with him moving into longer, less picture-heavy stuff, but I’m worried about the scary parts. Like I don’t want to traumatize him or give him nightmares. We’ve gotten past the spiders in the forest, so that’s good, but he’s only 4… any suggestions for shorter adventure-style books that might fit his age better?

Good books without illustrations to read to my 4yo?

By shorespring1991

My daughter really enjoys when I read to her, and I want to find a few books that are mostly text and stories that will stretch across more than one night. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Illustration from My Father's Dragon, created by Ruth Chrisman Gannett

By greenCoin3990

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid.

My Father's Dragon (Illustrated) by Ruth Stiles Gannett

By GREENSAIL3

If you’re grabbing the free ebooks from Amazon, don’t hit the “Read for Free” button. I think you want to choose “Buy Now” when the Kindle price shows up as $0.00. The “Read for Free” thing seems tied to Kindle Unlimited, which you still have to pay for.

Adventure books that are appropriate for a 6 year old but well written enough for an adult to actually enjoy?

By cloudyAcorn

I read The Hobbit to my son and he was totally into it. Honestly I still love it every time, too. It just hits that sweet spot where there’s plenty of magic and adventure for him, but it still feels grown-up enough that I don’t mind reading it. We’ve also done Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman—way different vibe, but it still feels like an adventure. Even though parts of it seem pretty “kid-ish,” it’s so funny and sharp that I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. Roald Dahl stuff could probably work for the same reason. Most kid chapter books I try don’t land for me because the words and the plot feel too basic, and the characters end up pretty flat or predictable. What other adventurous chapter books would you recommend that have depth and clever writing, with interesting characters and a plot that doesn’t feel half-baked—something a kid can follow and enjoy, but that’s also good enough for an adult to like. Also, I’d rather it not be a series, since there’s a decent chance my kid won’t stick with it and I don’t want to get stuck reading multiple books.

Reading My Father’s Dragon trilogy to my 4 yo and want more books with preschool appropriate adventure and plenty of pictures without dumbed down language.

By quill_monesia31

The magic faraway tree is kind of my favorite, I’m not totally sure why but I just enjoy it.

Massive book file for kids, fantasy lovers and book enthusiasts with approximate age range

By bravedesk1984

I started out with a simple list of books I already have, then it slowly turned into “okay, what am I missing?” and then into “what else should I actually read?” From there I got even more focused on what my kids should be reading right now (they’re both under 4), so I made a spreadsheet where I score each book using ATOS, interest level, and something for advanced reading. The idea is that the average of those gives a rough grade/age range. I messed with it for about a year and finally felt like sharing it in case it’s helpful to anyone else. I’m linking it here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oZ3ZnKeuQgoQfYeY6ucGkraYzJw0nSvZho2e755Mkms/edit?usp=sharing For the genre stuff, I tried to keep categories super minimal and only use the ones that match the overall vibe of the books. If I hadn’t read something, I based it off whatever small summaries I could find, so I’m sure some people won’t agree with a few picks. I know books can fit multiple categories, and I’m sure that’s where it gets kind of contentious, but it mostly felt like it lined up. Fantasy/fiction I mostly split by whether it’s on Earth vs made-up world vs space/tech. Dark fantasy is basically the vibe (even though it might be high/low/sci-fi too), but I had way too many in the other buckets, so I needed an extra section—like it went beyond just the current grimdark thing. And I would’ve done similar for romance, except I haven’t actually read much of it, so there isn’t much there. Also, for a bunch of stuff aimed at older kids/teens (like over 17), I had to guess a bit since it doesn’t all fit neatly into the grading rubric the same way. I took out my personal ranking and color coding since that’s more for me (own/read/want to read), but if you want to add that kind of tracking, you totally could. Anyway, I’d love feedback—especially if there are series/books I forgot that I should add, if anything is way off in the categories/ratings, or if you think there’s a better way to grade reading levels. I honestly had fun making it and it’s been really useful for me, so I hope others can get something out of it too.

Books for Children

By FallenBear

Hey y’all! I’m looking for some fantasy book recommendations. I’m 22, but I’ve always had a kinda weird book taste. I’m trying to find stuff for my brothers—one’s 8 and the other’s 6. The older one isn’t the biggest reader, but he’ll actually get into stories with swords, fighting, and dragons. The younger one reads more, but he gets scared easily, so I’m trying to avoid anything too intense. If anyone has suggestions that might fit, I’d really appreciate it!

Free online copy of "My Father's Dragon"

By DustyValley

I really loved this book. It brings back so many good memories—my mom used to read it to me when I was little.

Favorite read aloud books for ages 4-6

By archBright93083

Anyone have favorite read-aloud books for this age? The kind you won’t mind going back to again and again. Also, I’d love suggestions for short biographies that are done really well for social studies. Thanks! Quick edit: some of the recs so far are awesome—we already have a lot of those. I’m trying to build up the next level now, like right after the Eric Carle/Mo Willems/Anna Dewdney type books. More like one step before chapter books. Is around ages 5–8 about right?

Recommendations for a 6-year old?

By hidden-goose

My in-laws’ six-year-old niece is really into dragons and wizards. Any ideas for what to get her or do with her?