Dad's Day Done Your Way: Fathers' Day Roundup

Maybe Mothers' Day came first--in the calendar and in history--but parents deserves equal time, and authors and illustrators have long been busy creating Dads' Day stories. Fatherhood takes all kinds, considering that nature seems to have shaped a lot of models of fathers across the varied genomes of known species, but basically a good dad is one that is there at the right times. Human dads come in all shapes and sizes, too.

A list of stories for younger readers in which dads get their due is here.

And for dadly advice from a grown-up father for a dad to read to himself, there's the humorous look at Dad-Hood by that master of maleness, Dave Barry, You Can Date Boys When You're Forty: Dave Barry on Parenting and Other Topics He Knows Very Little About.

A Gift for Dad: I Love You, Dad! (Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood) by Maggie Testa

Daniel Tiger want to make something special to show the way that he loves his dad on every day.

"I COULD MAKE UP A SONG TO SAY

I LOVE YOU...."

Then Daniel thinks of making a toy trumpet or toy trombone to play....

He thinks about making a cake. But what if it gets smushed?

Dad assures him he would still love that cake because Daniel made it for him. Daniel considers making a picture as a way to say he cares. Dad smiles.

"AND I WOULD HANG IT UP

BECAUSE IT'S SO SPECIAL TO ME!"

In Maggie Testa's I Love You, Dad (Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood) (Simon Spotlight), there are many ways to show love for Dad on his special day or on any day. This sweet little padded board book is a great way to introduce the idea of a day honoring all dads and one very special dad, too.

For Everything There Is a Season: Almost Time by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney

When Ethan had to eat his pancakes with applesauce instead of maple syrup one Sunday morning, he knew it was almost sugaring time.

"Is the sap running yet?" he asked.

Dad shook his head. "Not until the days get warmer."

But the days stay cold and the nights remain long. Dad tries buttered cornbread and oatmeal with raisins and walnuts, and at least one thing changes. Ethan chomps a walnut and discovers a loose tooth.

Still the weather stays cold and his tooth stays loose.

Now Ethan had two things to wait for.

Ethan notices that the sun seems to come up a little bit earlier, but his tooth is still loose--

until--

At lunchtime his tooth comes out and now he's got a surprise for his dad... and there is a surprise for Ethan when he gets off the school bus....

The sap is running. The maple trees are tapped and buckets are filling up, and it's sugaring off time for sure. Dad and Ethan carry in enough sap to boil up a batch of sweet syrup together.

And soon there's maple syrup for Ethan's Sunday pancakes, in Gary D. Schmidt's and Elizabeth Stickney's beautiful tale of the fullness of time, Almost Time (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Clarion Books, 2020). Spring and maple syrup come in their own sweet time in this gentle tale of patience, wisdom, and pleasure in the cycles of the seasons and the enduring warmth of family life.

Newbery and Printz Award-winning author Schmidt paces this story perfectly for preschool and primary readers who are often impatient as they wait for good things to happen, and in his endearing mixed-media illustrations, artist G. Brian Karas slyly portrays the subtle changes in the turning of the season toward spring which young readers will no doubt spot before Ethan does. A perfect book about waiting for good things to happen and the cycle of the seasons of life.

Warm Feelings! Guess How Much I Love You in the Winter by Sam McBratney

Little Nut Brown Hare and Big Nut Brown Hare went out in the winter snow. They played I Spy as they hopped through the snow.

"I spy something that belongs to a spider," says Big Nut Brown Hare.

Little Nut Brown Hare scrutinizes the all-white scene. Could there be a spider in all this snow? Then he spies something.

"A WEB!"

What's more fun than walking and playing a game in the snow with Dad? And Little Nut Brown Hare is sharp as a tack. He spots something that belongs to the river. It's water, of course. Easy-peasy!

Then Big Nut Brown gives him a harder question.

"I SPY SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO YOU!"

Little Nut Brown Hare looks down at himself doubtfully. He's not wearing mittens or a scarf... or anything! Then Big Nut Brown Hare offers him a prompt.

"IT'S ONLY THERE WHEN THE SUN COMES OUT."

Aha! Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Little Nut Brown Hare and his dad are having a fine walk in the winter scene, in Sam McBratney's latest in his beloved Guess How Much I Love You series, Guess How Much I Love You in the Winter: Deluxe Cut Paper Edition (Candlewick Press, 2016). And there is something extra-special in this wintry edition with beautiful cut-out, layered three-dimensional illustrations of woodsy winter vistas by Anita Jera, making this title a standout among the seasonal crop of snow and Valentine's Day stories. Youngsters will love studying the pages and playing I Spy along with the Nut Brown pair and join into the warm and loving story of father and son hugs. Pair this one with the plush toy for a heart-warming gift for a special preschooler.

A Chip Off the Old Block: Just Like My Papa by Tony Buzzeo

ROAAAAAR! A WARNING ECHOES ACROSS THE PLAIN.

PAPA ROARS AGAIN. "MY PRIDE IS HERE. STAY AWAY.

I AM THE PROTECTOR AND KING!"

GROOOOOWL! KITO ADDS A WARNING.

"I AM HERE TOO. JUST LIKE MY PAPA."

Among his pride on the savanna, Kito's father is king, and little Kito is crown prince, trying to learn to be a king like his papa.

Just like Papa, he swishes his little black-tuffed tail to scare away the flies as masterfully as he can, but when a hyena steals closer through the tall grasses, he sinks low and lets Papa take care of business!

When the savanna sun grows hot, Papa sleeps under an acacia, and so does Kito. But kids just want to have fun, and soon he wakes up, ready for action.  He pounces onto Papa's rump.  Wheeeee!

WITH A SWIPE OF HIS PAW, PAPA SENDS KITO FLYING.

"ENOUGH, LITTLE KITO. I AM BUSY!"

Kito lies in the grass, pretending to be busy, just like Papa, until the suns sinks lower and it is time for the hunt.

PAPA STANDS UP AND GIVES HIS MANE A FEARSOME SHAKE.

Kito has no mane, but he shakes his head like Papa and follows, partly hidden in the grass as the lionesses of the pride lead them toward the herd of wildebeests to give chase. But the wildebeests are too fast for the huntresses this time, and the lions stop to catch their breath at the edge of their territory. But Papa stands tall and roars out a warning to all that he is king and protector of the pride. Kito growls to show that he is there, too.

Back under their acacia tree, Kito is ready to take his position of honor on Papa's rump.

PAPA SETTLES DOWN.

"COME HERE, MY BRAVE LITTLE HUNTER.

HELP ME BE KING!"

Just Like My Papa (Hyperion, 2015) is a tender, if idealized, picture of life on the African savanna which is reminiscent of Disney's The Lion King, (not too surprising, since Hyperion is the juvenile printing partner of Disney, Inc.) Nevertheless, author Buzzeo presents a reasonably accurate description of life in a lion pride for a young male and appends an informative author's note ("Information about the Pride") which offers fuller representation of  family roles in the group. Artist Mike Wonotka portrays the somewhat anthropomorphised relationship between father and son with gentle humor and affection and plenty of charm.

Pair this one with Buzzeo's and Wahnotka's fine companion book about a mother giraffe and her baby, Stay Close to Mama (read review here).

Wingin' It! Daddy's Zigzagging Bedtime Story by Alan L. Stomen

It's bedtime and the natives are restless.

Dad's all psyched up get the kids to bed at a decent hour, and since this is not his first rodeo, Dad knows that a crucial element in the mix is the just right bedtime story to get the kids quiet and still long enough for nature to take its course.

But the kids aren't cooperating. No matter what storybook classic he suggests, he gets turned down.

DAD HAS A SIMPLE SOLUTION. "I'LL PICK THE BOOK!"

The boy and girl look dubious, but Dad begins confidently....

"ONCE UPON A TIME..."

"BO-RING!" SAYS JAKE.

"HEARD IT!" SAYS JENNY. "ABOUT TWO MILLION TIMES."

Dad tries a different story line. "Once in a galaxy far, far...."

"OLD AS A DINOSAUR EGG," THE KIDS SIGH.

Dad's done with playing Marian the Librarian.

If it's original they want, it's original they're going to get.

His tall tale has some, er. original elements that soon have Jake and Jenny's attention. There's a princess, yes, but one whose cupcake creations with her favorite unicorn are interrupted by the Evil Space Aliens of Doom led by Zorgon the Fire-Burper. Laser swords, dead spider eyeballs, and at least one KA-BOOM! figure in the action, as the Aliens of Doom meet their match and depart the galaxy at warp speed, just in time for...

Lights out.... In his jolly sequel to his Daddies Do It Different, Alan Lawrence Sitomer's Daddy's Zigzagging Bedtime Story (Hyperion Books, 2015) shows the way Jake and Jenny's daddy does it differently when it comes to improvisational bedtime stories. There's something to please both boys and girls in this tall-tale nighty-nighty adventure. Again, artist Abby Carter adds her light touch with pastel watercolor wash and soft line to heighten the wild fantasy Daddy imagines for his youngsters, ending with a wish that the super Ninja Puppy will help them sleep tight ever after.

How Daddies DO It! Daddy Hugs by Nancy Tafuri

"I LOVE DRIPPY HUGS," SAYS LITTLE TURTLE."JUST-DADDY-AND-ME-HUGS."

With the simple theme that "little ones love hugs," Caldecott author-illustrator Nancy Tafuri gives the daddies of the wild their chance to shine. And do they embrace the opportunity!

Tafuri opens with a raccoon dad and his little one snuggling in the hollow of a tree. It's a sweet sight... but....there's more!

"I LOVE DRIPPY HUGS," SAYS LITTLE TURTLE.
JUST-DADDY-AND-ME-HUGS!"

Tafuri's hook for little ones is that each two-page spread of Dad and his little one shows, in the background, a tantalizing glimpse of at least part of the animal to be featured next, giving sharp-eyed observers a chance to figure what follows the page turn.  Adult read-alouders, on auto pilot at bedtime, may be surprised when their youngsters seem to have amazing predictive powers.

"I LOVE  WHISKERY HUGS," SAYS LITTLE FOX."

And while he's getting his version of just-Daddy-and-Me-Hugs, a big quail soars by, obviously on a mission--a hugging mission--as we see in the next double-page spread, in which Little Bobwhite gets his own "feathery hugs," from his dad.  There are also daddy hugs from Mr. Skunk, Fox, Chipmunk, Beaver, Chipmunk, and Owl, and finally a human parent and child enjoying the best of hugs....

"... GOODNIGHT. SWEET DREAMS, MY LITTLE ONE."

With a repeating and repeatable refrain and Tafuri's big, signature pencil and watercolored drawings, good to teach tots animal names and a bit about their habitats,Daddy Hugs (Little, Brown and Company, 2014) is both a bedtime story and a nature lesson in one.  Tafuri also throws in some fun-to-spot bit parts for an orb spider in her web, a dragonfly, a bee, and an ever-present lady bird beetle on every page.

The author also appends a list of featured animals and their official names (downy woodpecker, American gray squirrel) and challenges older readers to spot and point out arachnids, insects, mammals, reptiles, mollusks, worms, and amphibians depicted throughout.

Read this one with Tafuri's lovely companion book, All Kinds of Kisses, for a perfect pair of Tafuri tales.

Daddy's Little Helper: Mighty Dads by Joan Holub

MIGHTY DADS, STRONG AND TALL,
HELP THEIR CHILDREN, YOUNG AND SMALL.

In a double-header picture book that combines the preschool-pleasing construction vehicles with fatherhood, Joan Holub's just published Mighty Dads (Scholastic Press, 2014) celebrates fathers of every sort in chunky rhymes that point up that Dad has two responsibilities, his work in the world and his job teaching his kids what they need to learn.

Dads show their tads how it's done:

DUMP TRUCK STURDY

TEACHES DUMPY TO GET DIRTY.

THEY GO FILL...DRIVE...DUMP!

But Dad also remembers that his little one sometimes needs help.

CEMENT MIXER BUSY
GIVES A HUG IF MIXIE'S DIZZY!

Holub gives her little vehicles charming nicknames: the little bulldozer is Dozy, the little backhoe is Hoe-Hoe, and the small road grader is Grady, offering a chuckle with each description of the work to be done. All the usual suspects of the construction machine genre are there--graders, steam rollers, excavators, cranes, forklifts, boom trucks, all led by dump truck Big Daddy Son.

If the illustrations seem familiar, it's because artist James Dean provides the scratchy black line, daubs of watercolor, and especially those big black-line eyes found in his popular Pete The Cat books. A touch of Dean-style humor can be seen in the tiny trench, the petite pile of dirt, and the small slabs of cement that the little machines create alongside their dad's magnum efforts.

Boys and girls who love big machines will recognize their favorites and join in on Holub's jolly refrains--SPIN, SPIN, SPIN, SCOOP, SCOOP, SCOOP, and SMOOTH, SMOOTH, SMOOTH!--in this salute to doing it with Dad!

For more movers, shakers, and builders, here's a variety of tried-and-true hardhat winners!

On the Other Side: The Zebra Forest by Adina Rishe Gewirtz

Here are my three real wishes:

1. Get tall.
2. Have an adventure.
3. Meet my father.

It is the last day before summer vacation in Mrs. Roberts' sixth grade class, and Annie is ready with three fake wishes for the predictable essay "Three Wishes I'd Like to Fulfill over Summer Vacation." Gran has always said that if you were going to lie, be a good liar, and Annie's essay has three plausible wishes that she knows are all lies that aren't going to happen.

And Annie knows her real wishes aren't going to happen either. She's short like Gran, the tiny town of Sunshine is perennially short of adventures, and as for her third wish...

"...that was the unlikeliest wish of all.  Because even if I drank a magic elixir and sprouted a few feet, and even if angry revolutionaries suddenly stormed the streets of boring old Sunshine, wish number three was impossible.  I could never meet my father.  My father was dead."

But in Adina Rishe Giwirtz's debut novel, Zebra Forest (Candlewick, 2013), all three wishes are granted in a way Annie could never have predicted.

Ever since her mother dumped Annie and her younger brother Rew off with Gran, saying simply, "they were his idea, not mine," Gran has told them that their father is dead, killed by an anonymous "evil man" in a fight, and the house on the edge of the zebra forest, a woods of white birches and black oaks, has been their whole world. Gran is loving but unpredictable and depressive, and her days of withdrawal to her room have become more and more frequent.  Annie has learned how to do the shopping, pick up mail from their box at the post office,  pay the bills, and be a good liar whenever people inquired about Gran's health.  There are plenty of  her father's old books to read, especially their favorite Treasure Island, and  Rew loves the adventure stories that Annie makes up about their father as a famous spy, a pirate, always a hero.

But then a prisoner revolt and mass escape at the nearby state penitentiary makes Sunshine the top item on national news, and Annie's summer adventure begins when an escapee breaks into their house and holds them hostage, threatening her and forcing Annie to lie convincingly to the police who search the countryside around the prison. As several weeks pass, Annie begins to suspect that their captor knows more about her family than seems possible, and finally she guesses that he is her father, her father who was not the victim but indeed the killer in that struggle.

And gradually, as Annie comes to know him, he begins to seem less like an evil man and more like a man who could have been, and is, their father.  Rew still plots escape, but Annie finds herself somehow drawn to Andrew Stone and calculating to prevent their father's discovery, understanding more and more about her family's strange history as the summer passes.

While Annie grows little in the physical sense that summer, she does grow and mature emotionally in this new coming-of-age novel. Like the zebra forest which changes with the seasons, the birches shedding their white bark and the oaks greening over, Annie comes to see that things are not so black and white as the younger Rew sees them.  Giwirtz's debut is impressive, with a slow but suspenseful exposition, part mystery, part suspense story, part character-driven novel that becomes increasingly compelling as layers of family history are peeled away like birchbark and a new family story, one without lies, emerges.

Above us the bare branches crisscrossed the sky, the white ones nearly disappearing against the clouds. I thought how much I liked winter in the Zebra when you could see the intricate pattern of those branches. 

But then, I like all the seasons, and I like that they'll come round next year, too.

It's nice to know, though, that some things really do change.

Kirkus Reviews says, "Gewirtz's emotionally intense debut novel about the complications of families offers a perceptive heroine and poetic, impressive prose."

Monster Love: I Loathe You by David Slonim

Little Monster said, "I loathe you."

"I loathe you, too," said Big Monster.

"How much?" asked Little Monster sheepishly.

"Mosquite bites? I hate them, YES!

But next to YOU, I loathe them less!" smiled Big Monster.

It's a case of one-upmanship for Big Monster and his little orange offspring, as they try to top each other in a loathing match. Little Monster scratches his head as he tries to think of a way to top his dad.

"I loathe you more than what the cat dragged in,
With what the dog threw up thrown in!"

It looks like this match is going to end with Loathe All as the score, when Little Monster has a disconcerting thought. What if he can't keep up the pace? What if he just can't be that bad every single day?

"What if ... I should just obey?"

With his brand-new I Loathe You (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, 2012), author-illustrator David Slonim manages to poke gentle fun at the sometimes shameless smarm-mongering writers of all those see-how-much-I-love-you books while coming down to the same all-too-true theme, that parents love their own kids no matter what, just...because!

His big green daddy Monster and lovably orange Little Monster are everything a bedtime father and son monster duo should be, and his rhyming monster trash talk tale will tease out the titters and giggles from any primary crowd. As Publishers Weekly puts it with wit and wisdom, "Even as Slonim studiously avoids all things saccharine, readers will recognize the affection between the two characters and enjoy poring over the comically unpleasant details in Slonim's labor of loathe."