Ruth Stiles Gannett facts for kids

Ruth Stiles Gannett Kahn (born August 12, 1923 – died June 11, 2024) was an American writer who wrote books for children. She is most famous for her book My Father's Dragon and its two follow-up stories. These three books are sometimes called the "My Father's Dragon series" or the "Elmer and the Dragons series."

Ruth Gannett's Early Life and School

Ruth Gannett went to the City and Country School in Greenwich Village, New York City. She finished school there in 1937. She remembered that at this school, she was "allowed and encouraged to write for fun." This helped her love for writing grow. After that, she studied at the George School and then at Vassar College. She earned a degree in chemistry in 1944.

How Her Writing Career Began

After college, Ruth Gannett moved to Boston. She worked at a hospital and then at a science lab. Later, she worked at a ski lodge. She then moved back home with her parents. It was there that she finished writing her most famous book. In 1947, the same year her first big book was published, she married Peter Kahn.

Writing Amazing Dragon Stories

Ruth Gannett's first book, My Father's Dragon, came out in 1948. It was published by Random House. This book was so good that it was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal. This award is given to the best children's book in America each year.

She wrote two more books in the series: Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. Her stepmother, Ruth Chrisman Gannett, drew the pictures for these books. Her husband, H. Peter Kahn, helped design how the words looked on the page. These popular books have been translated into 14 different languages.

Ruth Gannett also wrote two other short books for kids. These were The Wonderful House-Boat-Train (published in 1949) and Katie and the Sad Noise (published in 1961). Different artists drew the pictures for these books.

Ruth Gannett's Family Life

Ruth Gannett married H. Peter Kahn, who was an artist and a professor. He also taught calligraphy, which is the art of beautiful handwriting. They had seven daughters together. When Peter Kahn passed away, they also had eight grandchildren. Ruth lived near Trumansburg, New York. This was close to Cornell University, where her husband worked for 40 years. She was also the great-granddaughter of Ezra Stiles Gannett, a famous person from history. Ruth Gannett lived to be 100 years old, passing away on June 11, 2024.

Books by Ruth Stiles Gannett

The My Father's Dragon Series

These three short books were written by Ruth Stiles Gannett. Her stepmother, Ruth Chrisman Gannett, drew all the pictures.

• My Father's Dragon (Random House, 1948)
• Elmer and the Dragon (Random House, 1950)
• The Dragons of Blueland (Random House, 1951)

Other Books

• The Wonderful House-boat-train, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg (Random, 1949)
• Katie and the Sad Noise, illustrated by Ellie Simmons (Random, 1961)

Ruth Gannett also wrote an introduction for a book called The Book of Dragons by Edith Nesbit.

See also

• In Spanish: Ruth Stiles Gannett para niños