oops....My Father's Dragon

I was so busy yesterday that I forgot to blog about my favorite "Classic" children's book.

Okay... I cannot tell a lie. I forgot. It wasn't because I was "too" busy. I just plain forgot.
I was busy at work.... but when I went home, my grandson was there and we had a nice relaxing enjoyable few hours before he went back home. I made his favorite meal: chicken nuggets and fries. Yum.
(I'm his grandmother, so I don't have to do healthy food choices all the time do I? )

Anyway, after we ate dinner on the patio and he watered my plants and squirted the dog (he is 6) he got interested in an old Royal Typewriter of my dad's that I have.
So, while he was busy putting in paper and typing, I began to read to him.
(this isn't something new)
We were in the middle of "My Father's Dragon" by Ruth Stiles Gannett.

THERE YOU HAVE IT! My children's classic. It will be "My Father's Dragon"

At first, because my grandson was very interested in the typewriter, he said, "You don't have to read to me grandma."
But I said I wanted to, and I began where we had left off. I finished one chapter and thought we would be done, but he turned to me, by this time he had actually stopped typing, and said..."Gramma, you can read more if you want to."

Which tells me a few things:
It's a great Read-A-Loud. It really is. Camron, my grandson, is always drawn into it, as I knew he would be last night.
It's a Newberry Honor book, it's short enough for children with short attention spans. It keeps their attention.
(or maybe it's just my grand read-aloud voice. LOL ).

To give a quick review of the book, it was published in 1945, I believe, it is a quick imaginative story about Elmer Elevator, a boy who runs away to Wild Island to rescue a baby dragon. It is narrated by Elmer's son, many years later.
It is an adventure story in the most simple terms.
And who can resist a good adventure story?
Certainly not my 6 year old grandson!
It's also a fantasy, with each chapter, revealing personality traits of different characters, all who happen to be animals.
Elmer must use his wits and his "McGyver" type of resourcefulness to outwit the animals on the Island to get to the dragon.

I say it's a Classic!!
Anything that can get my grandson to stop fiddling and curl up next to me and tell me I can keep reading.... THAT is a classic.

so....that's my excuse for not particiapting yesterday.
sorry... but I was off finding a dragon......

PS yes, I would recommend it to anyone. It really is a great little book.