Plot Summary
In Chapter Nine, titled "My Father Makes a Bridge," Elmer Elevator reaches the river that separates him from the captive baby dragon. He discovers a tall flagpole with a rope running across the river, connected to a crank bearing a sign that instructs anyone to yank the crank to summon the dragon and to report disorderly conduct to the gorilla. Elmer realizes the rope is tied around the dragon's neck, forcing the creature to shuttle back and forth across the river under threat of choking or having its wings painfully twisted. Contemplating how to cross, Elmer considers climbing the pole and going hand over hand along the rope, but the river is muddy and full of unknown dangers. Just as he is about to attempt the dangerous crossing, a crocodile surfaces and tries to lure him into the water with false friendliness. Thinking quickly, Elmer offers the crocodile a pink lollipop instead of becoming a meal. When sixteen more crocodiles emerge, all eager for sweets, Elmer devises an ingenious plan: he rubber-bands a lollipop to each crocodile's tail, causing the next crocodile to swim up and latch on, forming a living bridge that stretches all the way across the river.
Character Development
This chapter further cements Elmer's defining trait: his ability to stay calm under pressure and turn dangerous situations to his advantage through wit rather than force. Rather than panicking when a crocodile appears, he immediately recognizes an opportunity. His empathy is also on display—upon learning how the gorilla abuses the baby dragon by cranking the rope around its neck, Elmer feels "sorrier than ever for the poor dragon," reinforcing his compassion as a core motivation. The crocodiles, though introduced as potential threats with their "craving for something sweet" (a thinly veiled desire to eat Elmer), are quickly transformed into unwitting helpers, revealing their gullibility and greed for treats.
Themes and Motifs
The chapter powerfully illustrates the book's central theme of resourcefulness triumphing over brute strength. Elmer cannot overpower the crocodiles or the wild animals pursuing him, but he can outsmart them using the supplies he packed. The recurring motif of Elmer's knapsack items saving the day continues here, with the pink lollipops and rubber bands serving as his tools of ingenuity. The theme of captivity and freedom also deepens—the description of the dragon's miserable existence, forced to fly back and forth under threat of pain, underscores the cruelty Elmer is working to end. Additionally, the chapter explores the idea of turning enemies into allies, as the crocodiles shift from predators to a bridge through the simple offering of candy.
Literary Devices
Gannett employs dramatic irony when the crocodile invites Elmer for a swim, claiming "the water's lovely"—the reader understands the danger even as Elmer politely declines. The chapter uses vivid imagery to build tension: the pale moon emerging from clouds, the muddy river with "all sorts of unfriendly things" lurking within, and the crocodile heads "just peeping out of the water." The frame narrative device remains present, with the narrator consistently referring to "my father," creating a storytelling warmth that softens the peril. Foreshadowing appears in the sign on the crank, which hints at the gorilla's authoritarian control over Wild Island. The clever solution of the crocodile bridge also serves as a symbol of Elmer's ingenuity—transforming a line of predators into a path to freedom through nothing more than sweets and quick thinking.