Great Picture Books to Celebrate Father’s Day, Part II!
Categories: Parenting & Families , Children's Books
In a previous post, I discussed great picture books for Father’s Day. The bad news is there were so many fabulous picture books about dads of all kinds- they just couldn’t fit in one post. The good news is the overflow was perfect for Great Picture Books to Celebrate Father’s Day, Part II!
In The Best Father’s Day Present Ever, by Christine Loomis Langley Snail is worried about Father's Day. Besides, his friends have already snapped up the neat gifts, like the "Super-Duper-Golf-O-Matic-Home-Ball-Washer." Will Langley be able to find the perfect gift in time? This one has a great message that the best gifts are those from the heart.
The circus is coming! Dad is swinging from the chandelier in excitement in Etgar Keret’s Dad Runs Away with the Circus. Audrey and Zach, the kids, serve as joint narrators in this quirky Israeli import. When the day of the circus trip arrives, Dad is so carried away with excitement that he "behaved very irresponsibly, pulling all sorts of wild and dangerous stunts that could have ended in tears." The next thing they know, dad has run away with the circus! Can he get the whole family leaping and twirling, clowning and trapeze-ing?
This is the Van that Dad Cleaned by Lisa Campbell Ernst will ring all too familiar for those on the front lines of the cleaning war. In this cheerful takeoff on "The House That Jack Built," Dad cleans the van and then takes his three children to pick up some fast food. It doesn't take long before scattered french fries, airborne ketchup packets, and spilled candy corn is all over the car. The rhyming text begs to be read aloud and the illustrations capture the backseat’s mounting chaos scrapbook fashion.
My Dad by Anthony Browne is a comic feat! As a small child catalogs his father's admirable traits the illustrations humorously portray a pajama-and-bathrobe-clad, round-faced dad masterfully demonstrating each accolade. He is brave, resourceful, strong, happy, fast, big, soft, and wise. He dances, sings, plays soccer, and makes faces. He eats like a horse, and swims like a fish. This simple tribute closes with "I love my dad. And you know what? He loves me! (And he always will)."
Everyone’s favorite amphibian has the perfect day planned in Froggy’s Day with Dad by Jonathan London. Yet, in typical Froggy fashion things don’t quite go as planned… He makes a delicious breakfast (which burns), plays miniature golf (accidentally hitting dad in the head with a gold ball), and gives baseball a try (look out for that bat!) You don’t even want to know what happens on the bumper boats… Can this day be saved?
The idea of going fishing with Dad for the first time is exciting; the reality is another matter. In Piggy and Dad Go Fishing by David Martin, Piggy and Dad have their fishing poles ready, they've dug up worms, and they've packed Piggy's favorite lunch: "peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on squishy bread." Will they have fresh fish for dinner?
Need a soundtrack for Father’ Day? Try My Daddy is Scratchy by Jamie Broza. This CD won the 2005 National Parenting Publication Gold Award for it’s fun collection of songs that speaks the language of children set to creative music intended to hold the attention of the "mature" listener ... In other words: A winning kid's album that parents will actually look forward to playing.
