My Father's Dragon

Once a world traveler, the old, striped alley cat is now past her sightseeing prime. Her last trip left her worried about the injustice that she witnessed on Wild Island. She knows the friendless baby dragon needs to be rescued and that she cannot do it herself. Her friendship with Elmer, initiated by his kindness toward her, makes her realize that Elmer is just the boy for the job.

The cat’s description of the baby dragon’s servitude and misery, and her suggestion that the dragon would take Elmer flying, arouse Elmer’s empathy, his sense of justice, and his desire for adventure. The cat sets Elmer on his quest and is instrumental in helping Elmer prepare for his journey, preparation that facilitates Elmer’s success.

The two boars take the sanctity of Wild Island very seriously. They have an ordered, soldierly bearing which is underscored by their reference to anything out of place as an “invasion.” Their use of this word is humorous; a military-type invasion typically involves a large number of forces, whereas on Wild Island, Elmer is a single—but very effective—“invasion” unto himself.

Following their discovery of Elmer’s tangerine peels, one boar boasts—inaccurately—that “if there had been an invasion, I would have seen it!” (26). The boars take pride in their vigilance. They are logical, suspicious, and persistent. They evaluate evidence and act upon what they find, cleverly splitting up to cover more ground on their investigation, searching for the invasion up and down the trail, and attempting to question animals, like Rhinoceros, about where they got the items they are so busily using.

The boars dislike any disruption to the order of the island. They are a foil to Elmer, or characters that illuminate another character’s traits through contrasting qualities. They are rigid and want things to stay the same, with one boar saying that they “must get hold of that invasion. Don’t like it one bit, not one bit! It’s upsetting everybody terribly—wonder what it’s doing here anyway” (44). Elmer, in contrast, represents change and the end of the island’s cruel ways.

The boars lead the other animals in pursuit of Elmer and are the first to see Elmer crossing the river. They represent Elmer’s most dangerous adversaries on the island. Elmer keeps hidden from them and overhears their conversations, allowing him to gather intelligence and outwit them. 

Mouse is the first creature on Wild Island to become aware of Elmer’s presence—or at least, aware that something new and different is on the island—and immediately reports what he finds. Mouse is a loyal sentry. He has a tiny, “funny little voice” and his very human-like failing is his tendency to switch the first letters of words, with comic results. Mouse follows the boars’ directions to be a lookout on Ocean Rocks; his voice is the last one Elmer and the dragon hear as they fly away. Mouse wants them to return because the animals “need [their] dragon” (74). Mouse, unlike the other animals, escapes being a potential meal for the crocodiles, but he is as complicit as the other animals in keeping the dragon captive. The illustration of Mouse highlights his huge eyes and long whiskers.

Chrisman Gannett portrays the seven green-eyed tigers with catlike, soft, sinuous grace. They have striking stripes, wide eyes, and notably pointy teeth. Despite their love for gum, they are ready to devour Elmer until he plays on their greed. The chance at getting all the gum they ever wanted outweighs the tigers’ desire for Elmer. Though the tigers are dangerous, their gum craving adds humor and diffuses tension.

Rhinoceros has a negative body image. He feels ugly and unhappy with himself and takes his anger out on anyone who trespasses in his weeping pool—including Elmer. The illustration of Rhinoceros tossing Elmer in the air captures the rhinoceros’s strength, solidity, and the power of his fearsome horn. Rhinoceros is quick to physical violence, but also quick to accept Elmer’s help. He illustrates how anger can mask insecurity and depression.

Rhinoceros is thrilled when Elmer teaches him to use the toothpaste and toothbrush to improve his appearance and is “too busy” brushing his horn to talk with the suspicious boars. This shows how Kindness Is Key, both for helping others and precluding violence.

Elmer defuses Rhinoceros’s anger by listening to him and solving his problem. Rhinoceros is the first of the animals that Elmer manages in this way. 

Lion is angry at himself for going blackberrying against his better judgment. He knew he would tangle up his mane and get in trouble with his elegant mother. Lion reveals that he acts on impulse rather than thinking things through. Lion takes his anger out on Elmer and plans to eat him, but Elmer, as he does with Rhinoceros, actively listens to the lion’s trouble, and offers a solution.

The illustrations of Lion show Lion’s progression from fierce to self-satisfied. At first, Lion is ferocious and ready to pounce on Elmer, his snarled mane sticking out in clumps. Next, Lion has an eyes-closed, blissful look as he sits back on his haunches and combs his mane. Finally, Chrisman Gannett shows the dandy Lion sitting prettily, gazing contentedly at the seven braids—adorned with hair ribbons—sticking straight out from his head. The lion appears adorably non-threatening. He embodies the story’s whimsical humor and Elmer’s ability to counter violence with kindness and cleverness.

Gorilla is Wild Island’s enforcer. Judging by the sign at the river crossing, it is Gorilla’s job to address any bad behavior from the dragon or the passengers. Gorilla is “enormous and very fierce” (54). The illustrations emphasize how Gorilla’s height, girth, and huge arms contrast with Elmer’s small size. Gorilla seems to like his violent job and doesn’t give Elmer a chance to talk before eagerly preparing to twist Elmer’s arms. Gorilla is plagued by what he thinks is a single flea, however, which stops him before he gets physical. The implied contrast between the huge, strong gorilla and the tiny—but menacing—flea adds humor. Gorilla has power over other animals, which he shows when he orders six, much smaller, female monkeys to rid him of his flea.

The monkeys— Rosie, Rhoda, Rachel, Ruthie, Ruby, and Roberta—are the only named animals in the story. Unlike Gorilla who is stocky and large, the monkeys are all smiles; they are drawn with long legs, tails, and arms, giving them a sense of fluidity and motion.

In this instance, Elmer does not directly aid the animal with the problem, which avoids a sense of repetition in the story. Instead, he distracts Gorilla from his anger. He undermines Gorilla’s dominance by empowering the monkeys with the magnifying glasses to help them groom Gorilla and potentially change the power balance between them. Chrisman Gannett depicts some monkeys peering out through the magnifying glasses with their eyes comically enlarged.

The cat has a lot to say about crocodiles. They are temperamental, untrustworthy, and always hungry. The crocodiles have no need for the animals’ ferry crossing scheme, and are not, as such, responsible for the dragon’s captivity—but like Mouse, they do not help the dragon escape. Through animals like the crocodiles and Mouse, Gannett shows how complicity upholds slavery.

The crocodiles’ wide, toothy grins and sly, lidded eyes show that the crocodiles are out for themselves, motivated primarily by finding a meal. Elmer capitalizes on their desire for sweets by offering them the lollipops. When getting what they desire, the crocodiles are polite and dependable. When the first crocodile’s lollipop is gone, however, so is his dependability. He swims away, not just because he finishes his lollipop, the narrator makes clear, but “partly because, as I told you before, crocodiles are very moody and not the least bit dependable and are always looking for something to eat” (71). The desire for lollipops mitigates the crocodiles’ menace to a young readership.