Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family
Hello, my name’s Dave. I’m a hard-working single dad from Nottingham. What do I do for a living? Well I’m a reptile & aquatic specialist for a pet company. Animals and nature are one of my biggest passions and I hope to pass this on to my children. Currently I only have one child, Jacob, who is 2 years old (3 in a few months). Honestly, he’s my world and really does complete me. We do everything together.
What is your son’s favourite book?
Jacob’s favourite book has always been “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle. He’s always enjoyed animals, so it had to be an animal book! Learning about real caterpillars turning into beautiful butterflies with his daddy made him love the book even more. He even recently dressed up as the hungry caterpillar for world book day!
Which book do you most like reading to him and why?
My favourite book to read Jacob is “The Rainbow Fish” written by Marcus Pfister, a Swiss author and translated into English by J. Alison James.
I love this story because I remember being read this when I was a child. It delivers a very powerful message of teaching children to share.
The story tells of a fish with shiny, multi-coloured scales named the Rainbow Fish. He has blue, green, and purple scales; and among them, he has shiny silver scales. He is always fond of his scales. One day, a small fish asks him if he could have one, but the Rainbow Fish refuses in a very rude tone of voice. The other fish are very upset about his behaviour and don’t want to play with him anymore.
The beautiful rainbow fish must learn to accept that he must share his beautiful scales to attain happiness despite the fact he won’t be the most beautiful fish anymore.
What was your favourite book when you were a child?
My favourite book from my childhood was “The Magic School Bus” which was a series of children’s books about science, written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen. They feature the antics of Ms. Valerie Frizzle and her class, who board a school bus which takes them on field trips to impossible locations, including the solar system, clouds, the past, and the human body.
What do you look for when shopping for a new book for your child?
When searching for a new book I look for a few different things depending on the situation. Usually the plot and what message the book gives to children. However sometimes I search for children’s books that are associated with certain events such as Easter, Christmas etc. Even books which help with learning new behaviours such as wearing pants or using the potty.
What would you like to see more of in kids’ books today?
I’d love to see more factual story books about animals or nature in general.
About Daddy and Jacob.
Becoming a single dad, I struggled at first, feeling quite isolated and alone majority of the time. So, I decided to setup a Dad blog on Instagram to share my experiences but also to find other dads, mums, parents and see their shared experiences, connect with them and hopefully not feel so alone anymore. To help each other and guide each other. I find using Instagram really helps to relieve some of the everyday stress that raising children can bring, and if you can share that with someone who understands exactly what you’re going through then it really helps!
Follow us on Instagram: @Daddyandjacob