Celebrate Father's Day with Picture Books!
Categories: Parenting & Families , Children's Books
With Father’s Day just around the corner, we are awash in fabulous books celebrating tall dads, bald dads, loud dads, quiet dads, stay at home dads, suit and tie dads, and all dads in between! What better way for the entire family to celebrate than with a big pile of picture books?
Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli's first picture book, My Daddy and Me stars a flop-eared young pup who loves to spend time with dad. The two wrestle on the living room floor, make cookies, plant tomatoes, and work around the house. Plus, he’s never too tired to sing a lullaby at the end of a long, fun day.
An endearing read aloud. Building with Dad by Carol Nevius is summed up with this easy equation: Dads + Construction equipment = Fun!
Eve Bunting’s rambunctious character Susie has a flawless day planned for her dad in A Perfect Father’s Day. Suspiciously dad’s favorite things- feeding the ducks at the pond and climbing on the money bars also happen to be four year old Susie’s favorite activities…
In Father’s Day by Anne Rockwell Mrs. Madoff's class is doing something special--making books for Father's Day gifts. Sam wants to write about how strong his father is. Eveline remembers how Papa sings to her while Maman is at work. Jessica has two fathers, one in Texas, and one at home- she’ll write about both! It’s a sweet celebration of fathers of all varieties.
My Father the Dog by Elizabeth Bluemle is one of my favorite father themed books. “My father pretends to be human, but I know he is really a dog.” The young narrator goes on to list the undeniable evidence: he likes a good scratch, growls when he is suddenly awakened from a nap, and when he toots, he looks around as if someone else were responsible. The illustrations get in on the action when she peeks under the dining table to see if dad is begging for treats! A sweet ending concludes this silly romp sure to earn repeat readings.
What is a dad? 33 Uses for a Dad by Harriet Ziefert sets out to list the essentials. He’s a tailor, an architect, and coach as well as a taxi, an ATM machine, and a hand holder. He’s a dance partner, bug catcher, jar opener, and campfire builder. But what is Dad the best at? Being a friend.
A Classic: The Daddy Book by Todd Parr. Highlighting the differences between dads, Parr brings readers to a heartfelt conclusion- Whether they're working at home or working far away, teaching you how to walk or how to ride a skateboard, wearing suits or wearing two different socks, daddies are pretty cool.
I can’t say enough about the The Day I Swapped My Dad for 2 Goldfish By Neil Gaiman. Nathan has two goldfish named Sawney and Beaney. "I'll swap you them." "What for?" asks Nathan. He decides to swap his dad (the silent guy behind the newspaper) for two goldfish. After all, the boy brags, his dad is as big as 100 goldfish! When mom gets home she’s mad mad mad! Sadly, Nathan has already traded their dad for an electric guitar. Page upon hilarious page goes by, as the father is traded again and again. My favorite review sums it up: “magnificent, funny, multi-textured, and scritchy--the perfect visual accompaniment to this hip, kid-friendly exploration of the perils of bartering family members.”
