Different Strokes: Daddies Do It Different by Alan Sitomer

WHEN MOMMY GETS ME DRESSED IN THE MORNING, I LOOK EXTRA CUTE.

MY BLOUSE IS CLEAN. AND MY SOCKS ALWAYS MATCH MY SHIRT.

BUT DADDIES DO IT DIFFERENT.

STRIPES COLLIDE WITH PLAIDS, MY BARRETTES ARE CRAZILY CROOKED, AND SOMETIMES MY HEAD POPS THROUGH THE SHIRTSLEEVES.

It's different strokes for different folks for sure in this family. Mommy is conventional and precise; her breakfasts are pretty and properly balanced, and her posture is perfect. Dad, on the other hand, builds waffle forts, and lets the dog clean up any mess that hits the floor. His wardrobe choices are, um, creatively eclectic, and in the kitchen, instead of teaching her daughter recipes step by step, Daddy teaches her how to juggle eggs.

Following the list in precise order of departments at the supermarkets is not his style: he races his cart around following only his nose to sniff out free samples. When it's time for a trip to the park, Mommy packs sunscreen, extra wraps, water, and snacks. Dad prepares by spending fifteen minutes looking for his "stoopid car keys." At bedtime Mommy never forgets to have her brush her teeth, while Daddy hunts for silly bedtime stories and does different funny voices for each one.

There are lots of ways to be a parent. Alan Sitomer's Daddies Do It Different (Hyperion, 2012) hits all the cliches of daddy-style child care, (and flunks his fifth-grade grammar test on adverbs), but illustrator Abby Carter goes along with the gags, showing off this "Mr. Mom" in all his lovable but goofy ways. Although we all know moms who daily dither about looking for car keys, and dads who slather on the sunscreen, these familiar old stereotypical routines still get a laugh, with a final disclaimer that good parents all do one big thing the same:

WHEN IT'S FINALLY TIME TO GO TO SLEEP, MOMMY TUCKS ME UNDER MY BLANKIE, GIVES ME A TENDER KISS, AND TELLS ME HOW MUCH SHE LOVES ME.

AND DADDIES DO IT...

THE EXACT SAME WAY!