About the title
The Great Depression forces Elmer and his mother to leave their shop in a small town and move to the big city of Nevergreen. Elmer and his mother struggle to make ends meet. Now they live in a run-down boarding house, trying to adapt to a new, hard, and joyless life. One day, after an argument, the boy runs away and follows a stray cat he had taken in, but which his mother chased off. She draws him into an amazing adventure. If Elmer travels to a magical island riding a whale, he can find a dragon that will help him earn money. He agrees, and after a stop for tangerines in the middle of the ocean, he reaches his destination. But the magical island is nothing like what he expected.