Ruth Stiles Gannett Ruth Stiles Gannett (born 1923) is an American children's book writer best known for My Father's Dragon. Ruth grew up in New York City, fostering a love of writing in schools and a household that encouraged it. She attended Vassar College and eceived a BA in Chemistry and served on the Children's Book Council in New York as a staff member. Her first published book, My Father's Dragon, was published by Penguin Random House in 1948 and was a runner up for the Newbery Medal. Two sequels followed, titled Elmer and the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. She currently lives new Trumansburg, New York. Read More Read Less