author
Ruth Stiles Gannett
Beloved for a dragon adventure that has charmed generations, this classic children’s writer brought warmth, wit, and a wonderfully matter-of-fact sense of fantasy to her stories.
1 Audiobook
My Father's Dragon
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
About the author
Ruth Stiles Gannett was an American children’s author best known for My Father’s Dragon and its sequels, Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. Born in Brooklyn in 1923, she studied at Vassar College and earned a degree in chemistry before her writing career took shape.
Her most famous book, published in 1948, became a Newbery Honor Book and introduced young readers to Elmer Elevator and a memorably offbeat world of talking animals and brave, practical adventure. The books’ illustrations were created by her stepmother, Ruth Chrisman Gannett, giving the series its distinctive family-made feel.
Gannett lived a long life and remained closely associated with the enduring popularity of her dragon trilogy. She died in June 2024 at the age of 100, leaving behind one of the most cherished adventure series in children’s literature.