Ruth Stiles Gannett
Recognized in the Creative Minds Montessori 2026 Teacher’s Choice list.
Ruth Stiles Gannett is one of roughly one hundred authors whose work was selected by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list — 120 books chosen across four reading stages, from first lap-reads to first chapter books. The selected book was chosen for how precisely it meets children at a real developmental moment. This recognition cannot be bought: no author or publisher paid to appear on our lists, and we take no commission on any book sale.
About Ruth Stiles Gannett
Ruth Stiles Gannett (1923–2024) wrote My Father's Dragon in her mid-twenties; it was illustrated by her stepmother, Ruth Chrisman Gannett, and named a Newbery Honor book. She and her husband had seven daughters.
She began the dragon story, set it aside for a job at a Vermont ski lodge, and picked it up again during two rainy weeks at her parents' home while she was looking for work; her parents read it and encouraged her to send it to Random House.
Also by this author: Elmer and the Dragon · The Dragons of Blueland
Official legacy site: myfathersdragon.org
Selected for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list
Part of The Best Children’s Books by Age, chosen by the teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX.