My Father’s Dragon

By Ruth Stiles Gannett

Grades 3-5; Genre – Fantasy; GRL N; AR pts: 1.0

When Elmer Elevator hears about the plight of an overworked and under-appreciated flying baby dragon, he packs his knapsack with supplies and stows away on a ship headed for Wild Island. Nothing will stop Elmer from rescuing the dragon!

Vocabulary

Writing Prompts

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 1

1. What point of view is this story being told in? third person p.9
2. Who is narrating and who is this story about? A son telling a story about his father, Elmer Elevator p.9
3. How did Elmer’s mother feel about feeding the stray cat and why? She didn’t like it because if she fed it more stray cats would come around p.11
4. Describe the alley cat. Old, female, can talk, traveler, good companionship for Elmer, kind p.9

Chapter 2

1. What example of figurative language describes the cat speaking like a human? Alliteration p.15
2. Why did the animals on the island want to catch the dragon? So they could use him as transportation instead of walking all the way around to the other side of the island p.17
3. How did the animals treat the baby dragon if he complains? Beat him and twist his wing p.17

Chapter 3

1. How did the author’s father get off the ship without getting caught? Hid inside a grain bag and used a rubber band to tie it on the inside p.22
2. Why wasn’t the author’s father bothered when the fisherman shook with fear talking about Wild Island? He knew the dragon wasn’t scary p.24
3. Why was it important for the author’s father to travel to the island at night? He was hopping over rocks and the animals on the island would have seen him in the day and he didn’t want them to see him p.25

Chapter 4

1. How did the animals know something strange was on the island? Saw tangerine peels laying around, the “rock” had moved from its place p.32
2. How was the main character able to stay hidden? Traveled at night and held onto his peels p.32

Chapter 5

1. Why couldn’t the main character continue to follow the river and instead ventured further into the jungle? The river was so muddy he got stuck in the ooze and decided to travel in the jungle next to the river using his compass, but the river had a bend he didn’t know about that took him away from it p.35
2. How many tigers crept up on Elmer? 7 p.37
3. What knowledge did the cat give to the main character that helped him stop the tigers from eating him? The tigers love chewing gum p.38

Chapter 6

1. Who was the main character careful to hide from at the beginning of this chapter? Two wild boars p.44
2. Explain why the rhinoceros was weeping as well as how Elmer helped him. His tusk used to be white, but with age has turned yellow-gray and Elmer brushed his tusk with a toothbrush and toothpaste p.48

Chapter 7

1. Why was the lion so upset? He had blackberry twigs stuck in his mane and was worried for his mom see him such a mess that she would stop his allowance p.52
2. What did Elder do to help the lion? Give him a comb, brush and ribbons and showed him how to make his mane pretty p.54

Chapter 8

1. What animal threatened to twist the main character’s arms like he does the dragon’s wings? A gorilla p.60
2. What did Elmer give the monkeys to help them get the fleas off the gorilla and how did that help? Magnifying glasses so they could see the tiny fleas p.62
3. Explain how the main character was freed from the gorilla. More monkeys came out of the trees and surrounded the gorilla as they were wanting to try the magnifying glasses p.64

Chapter 9

1. Why didn’t the main character pull on the rope to have the dragon fly over to him? Elmer was worried about the gorilla twisting the dragon’s wings and stopping him from freeing him p.65
2. Why was Elmer not interested in swimming in the river with the crocodiles? He knew he’d be eaten p.66
3. What did Elmer do to get to the other side of the river? Used lollipops to make the crocodiles line up so he could walk across them. He put the first lollipop in the sand on the beach, then walked across the crocodile and used a robber band to tie a lollipop onto his tail for the next crocodile and so on p.68

Chapter 10

1. Explain how the crocodiles helped Elmer have the time he needed to free the dragon? The first crocodile finished his sucker and began floating down the river with all the other crocodiles following as they wanted to finish their suckers. The animals had been crossing the river and were stuck on the crocodiles p.76
2. Who called to the main character and the dragon from the island as they were heading to Tangerine island? The mouse p.76