Tag

Dads

My Dad Used to Be so Cool
by Keith Negley

As children it can be hard for us to believe that our parents ever had lives before we came along. Even as an adult I can’t quite picture the younger versions of my mum and dad in full colour – he on a scooter with hair to his waist and she in a Mary Quant dress, twirling the night away at the local ‘Palais de Danse’.  That’s why this book, about a dad who used to be a rock star, is so much fun!

The little boy in the story has heard that his dad used to be cool, but he’s really not so sure. As he watches him fold the washing, vacuum the study and tie his shoe laces he wonders what on earth happened. His dad was in a rock band and now he’s just dad. He thinks something massive must have occurred to bring about this change but he can’t work out what!

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Cave Dada by Brandon Reese

After a hard day of hunting and gathering Cave Dada is looking forward to putting his feet up – but his little baby has other ideas. He wants his father to read him a book and he’s not going to stop crying until that happens.

The father seems somewhat reluctant and suggests he plays with a rattle or snuggles his blanky instead – to no avail. Tired and a little grumpy, Cave Dada sets off to get the book and when he returns we can see why this wasn’t his first choice of activity. The book is a giant stone tablet!

Unfortunately this isn’t the book the baby wants so the tears resume until a bigger book is brought, but that turns out to be the wrong one too. Whilst travelling back and forth to gather more books Cave Dada accidentally invents fire, but still the baby is unimpressed. All he wants is his favourite story before bed.

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Amazing Daddy by Rachel Bright

The little panda in this story thinks her Daddy is simply amazing! He makes her yummy food, he loves to snuggle and he smells like ‘safe and warm’.

The gorgeous rhyme follows the pair as they go through their day. To an observer, nothing they do is extraordinary – they eat, they play, they have a bath – but to the baby panda every little moment is special because she gets to spend it with her Daddy.

We love this one because of the gorgeous illustrations and the cheeky humour. There are lots of fun details hidden in the pictures – keep an eye out for Daddy’s aftershave –  ‘Old Panda Spice’ – and the very important pieces of paper on the table in Daddy Panda’s office!

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The Girl With Two Dads
by Mel Elliott

When Pearl discovers that there’s going to be a new girl called Matilda in her class she gets very excited. She can’t find wait to find out what she’s like! She watches Matilda say goodbye to her dad and over the course of the day they become firm friends. Together they climb trees, run around the playground and jump in muddy puddles.

But then the next day Pearl spots something interesting. When Matilda’s dad drops her off at school, it’s a completely different dad. How can she have two dads? Confused, Pearl starts to ask her new friend lots of questions. Matilda explains that a family doesn’t necessarily mean having one mum and one dad, and she has two dads who love each other.

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Just Like You! by Jane Chapman

Piccolo is a tiny woolly mammoth who wants to grow up to be just like her Dad. She watches him topple trees so she can nibble the leaves and marvels as he ploughs through giant snowdrifts so that she has room to play. When she tries to copy him she gets very frustrated – she can’t wait until she is big and strong just like him.

One wintry day her Dad suggests that the two of them head off on a little adventure. Piccolo starts off bouncing with excitement but their journey turns out to be much longer than expected and soon her little legs are struggling. Despite her tiredness she doesn’t want to give up and when they arrive at their destination she discovers that her Dad has brought her to a very special place.

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Made For Me
by Zack Bush & Gregorio De Lauretis

Of all the children that ever could be, You are the one made just for me.”

This ode to fatherhood is an absolute joy and it made me cry the first time I read it. Written in gentle, heartwarming rhyme, the story follows a new dad as he cares for his child from birth through to early toddlerhood.

Through a montage of tender moments, we see him change nappies, administer feeds and do bedtime and bathtime. He tickles toes, reads stories, plays ball and builds sandcastles – and all the while he marvels about the wonder of this tiny being who seems to have been made just for him.

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