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The Very Best Daddy of All
From the father bird bringing food to his chicks to penguins securing their young for the night, the lyrical companion to My Mother Is Mine tells of the different ways fathers of all shapes and sizes demonstrate love to their babies.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 27, 2004
3 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Marion Dane Bauer
180 books186 followersMarion Dane Bauer is the author of more than one hundred books for young people, ranging from novelty and picture books through early readers, both fiction and nonfiction, books on writing, and middle-grade and young-adult novels. She has won numerous awards, including several Minnesota Book Awards, a Jane Addams Peace Association Award for RAIN OF FIRE, an American Library Association Newbery Honor Award for ON MY HONOR, a number of state children's choice awards and the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for the body of her work.
She is also the editor of and a contributor to the ground-breaking collection of gay and lesbian short stories, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence.
Marion was one of the founding faculty and the first Faculty Chair for the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing guide, the American Library Association Notable WHAT'S YOUR STORY? A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING FICTION, is used by writers of all ages. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen different languages.
She has six grandchildren and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her partner and a cavalier King Charles spaniel, Dawn.
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INTERVIEW WITH MARION DANE BAUER
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Q. What brought you to a career as a writer?
A. I seem to have been born with my head full of stories. For almost as far back as I can remember, I used most of my unoccupied moments--even in school when I was supposed to be doing other "more important" things--to make up stories in my head. I sometimes got a notation on my report card that said, "Marion dreams." It was not a compliment. But while the stories I wove occupied my mind in a very satisfying way, they were so complex that I never thought of trying to write them down. I wouldn't have known where to begin. So though I did all kinds of writing through my teen and early adult years--letters, journals, essays, poetry--I didn't begin to gather the craft I needed to write stories until I was in my early thirties. That was also when my last excuse for not taking the time to sit down to do the writing I'd so long wanted to do started first grade.
Q. And why write for young people?
A. Because I get my creative energy in examining young lives, young issues. Most people, when they enter adulthood, leave childhood behind, by which I mean that they forget most of what they know about themselves as children. Of course, the ghosts of childhood still inhabit them, but they deal with them in other forms--problems with parental authority turn into problems with bosses, for instance--and don't keep reaching back to the original source to try to fix it, to make everything come out differently than it did the first time. Most children's writers, I suspect, are fixers. We return, again and again, usually under the cover of made-up characters, to work things through. I don't know that our childhoods are necessarily more painful than most. Every childhood has pain it, because life has pain in it at every stage. The difference is that we are compelled to keep returning to the source.
Q. You write for a wide range of ages. Do you write from a different place in writing for preschoolers than for young adolescents?
A. In a picture book or board book, I'm always writing from the womb of the family, a place that--while it might be intruded upon by fears, for instance--is still, ultimately, safe and nurturing. That's what my own early childhood was like, so it's easy for me to return to those feelings and to recreate them.
When I write for older readers, I'm writing from a very different experience. My early adolescence, especially, was a time of deep alienation, mostly from my peers but in some ways from my family as well. And so I write my older stories out of that pain, that longing for connection. A story has to have a problem at its core. No struggle
She is also the editor of and a contributor to the ground-breaking collection of gay and lesbian short stories, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence.
Marion was one of the founding faculty and the first Faculty Chair for the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing guide, the American Library Association Notable WHAT'S YOUR STORY? A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING FICTION, is used by writers of all ages. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen different languages.
She has six grandchildren and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her partner and a cavalier King Charles spaniel, Dawn.
-------------------------------------
INTERVIEW WITH MARION DANE BAUER
-------------------------------------
Q. What brought you to a career as a writer?
A. I seem to have been born with my head full of stories. For almost as far back as I can remember, I used most of my unoccupied moments--even in school when I was supposed to be doing other "more important" things--to make up stories in my head. I sometimes got a notation on my report card that said, "Marion dreams." It was not a compliment. But while the stories I wove occupied my mind in a very satisfying way, they were so complex that I never thought of trying to write them down. I wouldn't have known where to begin. So though I did all kinds of writing through my teen and early adult years--letters, journals, essays, poetry--I didn't begin to gather the craft I needed to write stories until I was in my early thirties. That was also when my last excuse for not taking the time to sit down to do the writing I'd so long wanted to do started first grade.
Q. And why write for young people?
A. Because I get my creative energy in examining young lives, young issues. Most people, when they enter adulthood, leave childhood behind, by which I mean that they forget most of what they know about themselves as children. Of course, the ghosts of childhood still inhabit them, but they deal with them in other forms--problems with parental authority turn into problems with bosses, for instance--and don't keep reaching back to the original source to try to fix it, to make everything come out differently than it did the first time. Most children's writers, I suspect, are fixers. We return, again and again, usually under the cover of made-up characters, to work things through. I don't know that our childhoods are necessarily more painful than most. Every childhood has pain it, because life has pain in it at every stage. The difference is that we are compelled to keep returning to the source.
Q. You write for a wide range of ages. Do you write from a different place in writing for preschoolers than for young adolescents?
A. In a picture book or board book, I'm always writing from the womb of the family, a place that--while it might be intruded upon by fears, for instance--is still, ultimately, safe and nurturing. That's what my own early childhood was like, so it's easy for me to return to those feelings and to recreate them.
When I write for older readers, I'm writing from a very different experience. My early adolescence, especially, was a time of deep alienation, mostly from my peers but in some ways from my family as well. And so I write my older stories out of that pain, that longing for connection. A story has to have a problem at its core. No struggle
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 13, 2018
Three star for story, four stars for the art. You can see that art being displayed on walls.
January 27, 2020
Finally found the board book section of the library, and this book was there. Read it to my 1 year old son who turned the pages, he and I both loved it. It reminded us a lot of My Mother Is Mine and it turns out, the two books are by the same person. Will definitely be getting a home copy of this next time we purchase some books.
July 17, 2018
Gave this as a Father’s Day gift to my husband on his first Father’s Day. I am a sucker for beautiful paintings in baby books!
July 25, 2019
A bit sappy for my taste.
November 4, 2019
Ah, another mushy instant classic gift book. Not bad, not good, not exciting or even moving imo. The font is huge and the pictures fuzzy, though, so, weird & dissonant design.
January 27, 2021
Sweet little bedtime read. Great gift for a Daddy's first Father's Day.
May 24, 2022
Simple text illustrated with pictures of animals tell about having the BEST daddy in the world. A free greeting card is included - card is blank on the inside.
September 27, 2022
I love books that show what good dad's do. And this is a great book to do that.
September 12, 2025
1st read: at Reedsburg Library in WI; 2nd read at home by dad
October 8, 2010
An outgoing boy on the first row spotted this story on display and asked if I would read it during story time. I asked the group if they were okay with this (knowing they would be). As I had not planned on using this story, I read all the pages (very sparse text and very colorful pictures)up to the page featuring the cover art. Every one was satisfied, after which we sang...(to the tune of "Bingo")
I have a very special friend,
And Daddy is his name-oh.
d-a-d-d-y, d-a-d-d-y, d-a-d-d-y (clapping each letter)
and Daddy is his name-oh.
He and I have lots of fun,
He helps me learn and play-oh.
d-a-d-d-y, d-a-d-d-y, d-a-d-d-y (clapping each letter)
and Daddy is his name-oh.
(this song was submitted by Sue Brown of Louisville, KY and published in the May/June 1996 issue of Totline Newsletter).
I have a very special friend,
And Daddy is his name-oh.
d-a-d-d-y, d-a-d-d-y, d-a-d-d-y (clapping each letter)
and Daddy is his name-oh.
He and I have lots of fun,
He helps me learn and play-oh.
d-a-d-d-y, d-a-d-d-y, d-a-d-d-y (clapping each letter)
and Daddy is his name-oh.
(this song was submitted by Sue Brown of Louisville, KY and published in the May/June 1996 issue of Totline Newsletter).
June 17, 2014
Synopsis: "From all
of the daddies,
tall or small,
mine is the best,
the very best...
Some animal daddies comfort their babies or hold them tight, or face every danger for them. But the narrator of this loving picture book knows his daddy does all of that -- and more -- for him.
In this sweet companion to the New York Times best-selling My Mother Is Mine, Marion Dane Bauer and Leslie Wu celebrate fathers. A Father's Day card is attached to the back of the book, but this is a book to share all year long.
the very best daddy of all."
My Review: This is very similar to several other books I have gotten for Munchkin, but he still really enjoyed this one. The artwork was beautiful and Munchkin really loves all the animals. It is a little long for him to sit through but possible to get through, maybe more appropriate for a younger, not so active child.
of the daddies,
tall or small,
mine is the best,
the very best...
Some animal daddies comfort their babies or hold them tight, or face every danger for them. But the narrator of this loving picture book knows his daddy does all of that -- and more -- for him.
In this sweet companion to the New York Times best-selling My Mother Is Mine, Marion Dane Bauer and Leslie Wu celebrate fathers. A Father's Day card is attached to the back of the book, but this is a book to share all year long.
the very best daddy of all."
My Review: This is very similar to several other books I have gotten for Munchkin, but he still really enjoyed this one. The artwork was beautiful and Munchkin really loves all the animals. It is a little long for him to sit through but possible to get through, maybe more appropriate for a younger, not so active child.
Read
September 8, 2016Beautiful pastel illustrations are the highlight of this tribute to animal fathers and their offspring. Children will enjoy looking at a variety of male mammals, amphibians and birds as they feed, groom, house, protect and play with their offspring.
Some tuck you in, safe and warm, when the sun’s about to go.
And my daddy… haven’t you guessed? From all of the daddies, tall or small, mine is the best, the very best, the very best daddy of all.
Great for children aged two years and up.
Highlighted in our Terrific Picture Books About Fathers and Fatherhood post
Some tuck you in, safe and warm, when the sun’s about to go.
And my daddy… haven’t you guessed? From all of the daddies, tall or small, mine is the best, the very best, the very best daddy of all.
Great for children aged two years and up.
Highlighted in our Terrific Picture Books About Fathers and Fatherhood post
February 2, 2013
This is a sweet story about daddies and their children. The narrative is very simple and short and the illustrations are colorful and feature many different animals. We enjoy reading books by Marion Dane Bauer and although this book is a bit too young for our girls, we still enjoyed reading it together.
April 24, 2012
Sweet and sentimental poem about what daddies do. I liked the design of this book with colored paper pages on the left to match the tones of each pastel illustration on the right. "Some daddies sing you awake" with a close up of a songbird perched along the side of a nest with baby bird in it.
August 30, 2013
A little young for the girls I thought, especially with the way they think of their "daddy" (at three and five they call him and speak of him as "Dad). I don't think any book could meet their expectations of their dad, they think he's the greatest, better than best!
January 14, 2014
I really liked this and so did my daughter. She likes to flip through it. My only minor detractor is the little bit of gender stereotypes "some take care of your mama so she can take care of you." Not sure whether it bothers me or not.
July 31, 2008
great readaloud for younger kids for daddy and me. all different types of animal daddies say goodnight to their babies. peaceful.
May 9, 2020
Read at Baby Lap Time at the Tenley library on 6/17/11: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
September 30, 2011
I loved the illustrations and the message in this book. Sadly, my ~1 year old wasn't terribly interested. Maybe a slightly older baby would enjoy it more?
June 18, 2012
So Sweet!!!
October 4, 2012
not very well written and the pictures were not that good either!
November 7, 2012
2* art
1* story/words
Sorry. Can't stomach the mushy message when no artistry is used to express it. (Squirt agrees completely.)
1* story/words
Sorry. Can't stomach the mushy message when no artistry is used to express it. (Squirt agrees completely.)
June 16, 2013
Too cute!
November 16, 2016
This a sweet little book about a father's love :)
February 20, 2015
This book was short, but also very cute. Makes me think of what my dad does for me. It would be a good father's day gift. I believe this book would be good for kindergarten through third grade.
March 4, 2015
Cute book.
June 9, 2017
The illustrations in this book are beautiful and each one simply depicts one characteristic of a good dad. The verse is consistent and makes the book more engaging for little readers.
September 11, 2016
This was great because it's a daddy book and those are super rare.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews