Thursday, December 24, 2009

Books for Dads


I was asked recently if I knew any good storybooks for kids that involved dads. It's a much harder question than you would think.

Fathers are given the short end of the stick in kid's books. Often, mothers are the only parent in sight, and fathers don't even exist in the book. Moms cook the dinner, moms play with their kids, moms tuck in their child at night. Where's dad? Oh, he must be working.

Sadly, when fathers are a part of the book, they're often portrayed as pathetically as they are in sitcoms: bumbling, disinterested, or just not involved at all. Look at the Olivia books, just for one example. What does dad ever do in those books besides read a newspaper?

Or else, they're about dads working. There are an amazing number of books out there that feature dads, but the story involves dad going away for a business trip and how much the kids will miss daddy when he's gone. So we're present in our absence.

And then there's all the divorced dad books - "Weekend with Daddy"-type stories. And I'm not complaining, because for all the dads out there in that situation, it's great for them to have something that reflects their reality. But there's not enough books that reflect the other reality - real fathers, as a part of the daily routine in the house just like moms are.

But there are a number of books that show dads in a positive light. I especially love finding books where dads are the caretakers - we tuck our kids in at night, we solve problems, we comfort our kids when they're upset. Because that's what we do, in real life, all the time. Here's a partial list of my favorites, along with suggestions I've gotten from friends. I can't vouch for all the books, but I wanted to provide the longest list possible. Let me know about your favorite books about dads in the comments, and I'll keep the list going.

Night Driving, by John Coy and Peter McCarty. This is my #1 favorite book about dads. It's the story of a boy and his dad driving cross-country at night. The pictures are beautiful and the bond between the father and son is really touching.

Other suggestions:
This is meant to be a partial list. Tell me in the comments about the books I missed. What are your favorite books featuring real dads?

More suggestions from readers:

Two Old Potatoes and Me (suggested by the author himself, John Coy!)
"Two Old Potatoes and Me is the story of a girl and her father planting potatoes and I think you'd enjoy both the story and the art."

On Our Way Home - suggested by anonymous commenter
"An outstanding book about a little bear and his Daddy on a hike. No mentions of absence or anything other than special time with Dad. For a bonus, Daddy tucks the little bear in at the end."

Some Dogs Do - suggested by JustineR
"'Some Dogs Do' is about a little dog who has a bad day, and his father is the comforting one. Mother dog doesn't even have a speaking role."

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

On Our Way Home, no question. An outstanding book about a little bear and his Daddy on a hike. No mentions of absence or anything other than special time with Dad. For a bonus, Daddy tucks the little bear in at the end.

john said...

As the author of Night Driving, I'm honored to hear it is your favorite. It was my first book as well as the first for the illustrator Peter McCarty.

I agree with what you say about how fathers are portrayed in picture books, but I'm also optimistic that we will see some changes as more and more dads take active roles.

I'd like to suggest another father book I'm quite pleased with. Two Old Potatoes and Me is the story of a girl and her father planting potatoes and I think you'd enjoy both the story and the art.

Sky Bluesky said...

I'm adding both books to the list. John, it's a thrill and an honor to have you stop by. Thanks for the suggestion - I'll check it out!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for listing my book, The Summer My Father Was Ten. I have a new one out this month about a boy whose mother is in the Navy. It's called Sometimes We Were Brave and is about how a boy, Jerome, and his dad manage when his mother goes to sea.

And also please take a look at Melissa Parkington's Beautiful, Beautiful Hair about a girl whose Dad tucks her in each night with "Good night, my Melissa of the beautiful, beautiful hair" until the night when her hair is gone because she's donated it to a kid whose hair won't grow.

Enjoy your baby! Keep on blogging!

Pat Brisson

john said...

My pleasure Sky Bluesky. Keep up the good work.

Sky Bluesky said...

Pat, those both sound great. I'll add them to the list. Thanks for stopping by!