Books About Daddy

Father’s Day is less than two weeks away; a wonderful gift for your child to give daddy is a book to share together. 

More stories about dads and their children are coming onto the book market and the dads are not just being portrayed as heading out to work. Dads are now cooking, singing, dancing, bathing, playing and reading with their children. 

The culture of today’s dad is that of the “hands-on” father;  one who helps parent and care for his children not because he has to but because he wants to be an integral part in their upbringing. 

My husband is a great father and claimed bath-time as his own over 13 years ago when our son was born.  He changed diapers, put him to bed, played “Thomas” with our son Will and so much more.

Before heading out to shop for Father’s Day this year, consider one of these books as part of your gift.  You will be giving not only the gift of the book, but the gift of together time that daddy will share as he reads the book aloud to his child.

1. Baby Dance by Ann Taylor.  If your baby is danced around the house to music or not by their daddy then this is a perfect book.  In this joyous story Daddy and baby dance around while mommy takes a well deserved nap.

2. Papa’s Song by Kate McMullan. To help his sleep resistant baby fall off to dreamland, Papa Bear takes his baby cub to hear the flowing song and gentle rhythms of the nearby river.

3. Daddy Makes the Best Spaghetti by Anna Grossnickle Hines.  This story is about a daddy who loves to have fun with his pre-schooler.  He is Bathman; he shops for groceries and cooks delicious meals all with his engaged pre-schooler by his side.

4. Mama’s Coming Home by Kate Banks. Mama has a long commute and it is shown on the left side of the book as she battles the traffic.  On the right page, daddy is shown juggling dinner time and the witching hour with baby.  This might be your life in a nutshell.  Perfect for working families.

5. What Dad’s Can’t Do by Douglas Wood. When babies come along, dads lose many of the things they took for granted:  sleeping late, crossing the street without holding someone’s hand and holding onto their cash. 

6. Vroomaloom Zoom by John Coy.  When Daddy has to put his daughter to bed, things go a little differently than mommy might do it.  Daddy zooms his daughter around her room in his noisy fun, yellow car. 

7. Daddy’s Girl by Garrison Keillor.  Little girls always seem to get their daddy’s wrapped around their little fingers.  This book is full of Daddy-daughter antics that will remind us of our own adventurous times with dad.  Comes with a CD.

8. Daddies Are for Catching Fireflies by Harriet Ziefert. This interactive lift-the-flap book shows all the things that dads help their children do.  They catch fireflies, they do bedtime, give the best seat at the parade to their child up on their shoulders, tickle feet and mess up hair.  Dad even tries to fix a broken toy.   Beautifully illustrated with watercolor illustrations, this book is a winner.

Writing this piece reminded me of my own dad pushing me on a swing that hung from a huge tree in our yard in Pennsylvania. Great books can make memories or remind you of times past that come back to consciousness to now become treasured memories.  Get daddy a great book for Father’s Day this year and make some memories.