By Terri Schlichenmeyer
(Source: The Florida Sun)
Good old Dad.
He’s there for you every day, playing with you, tucking you into bed, teaching you to do fun things, helping you. He and Grandpa, they’re the greatest – and this month, it’s time to read books about the Dads and Father-figures in your life…
Who’s your best buddy? You’d probably say that your Papa is, and in “Dear Dad,” illustrated by Natalie Lundeen (Flamingo Books, $9.99), you’ll read a love letter to one youngster’s father, a gator who is the little guy’s “favorite dude.”
This is a quick, colorful, adorable, fast-to-read story that’s full of love and appreciation for fathers, and it’s not just for preschool kiddoes, ages 3-to-5. If you’re an adult, it would be a heart-felt, tear-jerker of a gift for your Dad or Grandpa, too.
For the child who loves doing things with Pop, then “Haircut Day with Dad” by Monica Mikai (Crown, $18.99) is a book they’ll want.
Yep, it’s time: his hair has grown a little shaggy and a little boy needs a haircut. He and Dad want to look good, so they head to the barber shop to make sure they do. It’s an day well-spent, too, and breakfast is first, because you can’t have a haircut on an empty stomach.
At the barber shop, the usual barbers are working and Dad sees some of his friends. They “settle in and wait” for their turn. Barbers are like magicians, and the boy and his dad feel like kings with capes around their necks. Pretty soon, they’re looking “fly,” which is what you should do: fly out and find this adorable book just for boys ages 5-to-8.
Okay, but what if you don’t have a dad? Or he’s not the dad you want? Then “Just Right” by Torrey Maldonado, illustrated by Teresa Martinez (Nancy Paulsen Books, $18.99) is exactly the book you want.
Toby is sad. He picked out a special pair of socks for his Dad as a gift, but his father kind of ignored him. The socks were just another pair of socks to him, and Ma said that wasn’t right. Neither was a nearby playground that was forever under construction, or the broken glass on his neighborhood’s sidewalks, or the dirt or the noise outside his door.
None of that is right, not at all.
But you know what was right? His mother’s brother, his Uncle, who loves Toby so very obviously, and makes him feel special and exactly, a hundred-percent right.
And that’s what you’ll think about this moving book: it’s what you want for your 4-to-9-year old, especially if there’s no dad or grandfather in the picture this Father’s Day.
If your child wants more books about Dad, Grandpa, Uncle, or any other special man in their life, then head to your favorite library or bookstore and ask for help. The staff there will steer you toward the exact books you want for kids of any age and any situation, for birthday, Father’s Day, or every day of the year.
