Photo safari today, in search of seafaring images for words.names.faces.
Drawing from My Father’s Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannett, and illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett. Published in 1948. This was a very influential book in my youth, inflaming feelings of wanderlust at a very early age. I still yearn to stow away. It was also my first exposure to the Long Joke, expertly set up, withholding dénouement to the last beautifully crafted illustration.
If you are familiar with the book, you will already know what Elmer does with the contents of his knapsack - chewing gum, two dozen pink lollipops, a package of rubber bands, black rubber boots, a compass, a toothbrush and a tube of tooth paste, six magnifying glasses, a very sharp jackknife, a comb and a hairbrush, seven hair ribbons of different colors, and an empty grain bag with a label saying “Cranberry.”
