The Daddy Book

by Todd Parr

The Daddy Book celebrates all different kinds of dads and highlights the many reasons they are so special.

Whether your dad walks you to school or walks you to the bus, whether he wears suits or two different socks, whether he has a lot of hair or a little, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of daddy you have, every father is special in his own unique way.

With his trademark bold, bright colors and silly scenes, kids will learn that while no two dads are exactly alike, "all daddies love to hug and kiss you," and that is what is so special about them! Perfect for young children just beginning to read, The Daddy Book is designed to encourage early literacy, enhance emotional development, celebrate multiculturalism, promote character growth, and strengthen family relationships.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Storytime, Fiction, Kids, Pre K

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Todd Parr is a three-time New York Times-bestselling author and illustrator of more than fifty books for children. He has inspired and empowered children around the world with simple, hopeful, and powerful messages such as “be kind”, “love yourself” and “be who you are,” all set with vibrant images in eye-catching primary colors. His books have received numerous awards and are available in nearly twenty languages. He also is the co-creator of the popular three-time Daytime Emmy©-nominated animated TV series, "ToddWorld" with Gerry Renert of SupperTime Entertainment. Several short films for Sesame Street have also been based on Parr’s work.

Parr devotes time to numerous philanthropic causes supporting pet adoption, children’s hunger, health, and literacy. He is a frequent reader and fundraiser for The Ronald McDonald House and serves on the board of directors for the Virginia Children’s Book Festival. His corporate collaborations include Best Buy, Stouffer’s, and the San Francisco–Marin Food Bank, among others.

A native of Wyoming, Parr currently lives in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations look like something I would draw.... very weird but once you start reading a Todd Parr you forget you could've drawn that bad.

This is a story about all kinds of daddies. Some daddies like to play tea party, some like to bake or buy donuts, some work far or at home. Very cute.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this for Father's Day in 2005 or 2006. It was purchased at a mall in Virginia while we were visiting Kim and Mike. Gert and I had a huge blowout argument about something or other (interesting how the topic is always forgotten). This was just kind of shoved to me.

Nevertheless, I love it because Beetle gave it to me. :)

All fathers are different, but they all love their children.
****
This book has now moved rooms. Fritz has it now. He likes it. Tonight I asked him to pick a book for our bedtime story. At first he picked an I Spy book. I said he should pick something with words. I suggested The Night Before Thanksgiving. He said, "I know what book we can read." He selected this.

We had great fun picking out which daddy I was with each topic. It is still fun to read this book.
****
Read this with my students today. We had a lot of fun with this. Daddies are so kewl!

[Katherine Pak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is rather simple and has very colorful pictures. Todd Parr is really good with keeping the topic simple and yet fun for the students to read. I believe that his books are actual children's books that children should practice reading and reflect these readings. It has a great content and appropriate language for the students to read. It's about different dad's all around the world in recognition of their hard work whether it's single dads or divorces dads.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Todd Parr. He writes children’s book that are actually for children, but that have enough to them that they can promote discussion. All kind of Daddies are included in this book, and the illustrations are charming and colorful, as per usual.

[✨Arline✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love Todd Parr’s books. Except for when he uses, “all...” about a whole group of people. (Moms, dads, etc...)

My 6yo said, “not ALL daddies like to hug and kiss you.”

[Cassandra Gelvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published at http://www.drttmk.com.

Pretty run-of-the-mill Todd Parr.

It's cute, for whatever that's worth. It's just a list of things that different daddies might do. There are a few things that are about the daddies themselves, but mostly it's about what they like to do with their children. One slightly creepy page: "All daddies like to watch you sleep!" Another one some people might take issue with: "All daddies like to kiss and hug you". I'm sure there are some great fathers that don't. But of course, for the most part, daddies do like to hug and kiss their children. The last page: "All daddies want you to be who you are!" If they're good daddies, they do. The ideal father wants his children to be themselves. Not all people are ideal, though, and none of us are perfect. But it's something to strive for. Children's picture books are full of daddies who want their children to be someone other than themselves. Sometimes they learn better, sometimes they don't.

It's a decent book; it's just that there's not much to it. What it is, is innocuous. There's nothing really offensive here. There's nothing particularly interesting here, either. It is great that it depicts daddies doing traditionally feminine things sometimes, such as singing, vacuuming the house, having a tea party with a little girl, and making cookies. It's nothing to run out and buy unless you're starved for books about daddies, and I think there are a lot of those out there. It's the kind of thing that would fit right in at a pediatrician's office: bland, rather inclusive, and inoffensive. Todd Parr's art is very recognizable. I'm pretty apathetic about it. Very colorful, very fun, not very realistic or traditionally "pretty."

Message: There are lots of different kinds of daddies.

[Lucy Kehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Daddy Book is a book about different things that fathers like. It describes different things that fathers do, such as wearing different socks, building socks, and drawing pictures. Some dads enjoying certain things while others may not. At the end of the book, it says that all dads want their kids to be who they want to be.

The theme of this book is that not all dads are the same, and each dad loves their kid very much.

The Daddy Book made me feel very sentimental because it reminded me of my dad. It made me think about all of the memories that I share with my dad and how much he has shown me unconditional love and supported me. I feel very thankful for my father and our relationship, but I know that many kids do not have the same experience with their father as me.

While I enjoyed the book, I don't know if I would recommend this book because it does not include unconventional family dynamics within this book. Many kids these days may not have a father figure in their life or their father is not very nice. While it's important to emphasize the importance of father figures, I think this book could make kids feel left out, sad, or secluded if they don't have a "normal" father.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Todd Parr - great message of love and diversity and inclusiveness, all kids can find something here to relate to, and funky illustrations. (I still don't get why he can't stick to realistic colors for people - orange and purple and green faces are just distracting). A great group read aloud for toddlers, this one could also be used successfully with the preschool crowd.

[Ms. Jeane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little disappointed that this book didn't have aspects about fatherhood that are from unconventional family dynamics, like there is no two dad relationships in it, or step father relationships, and Parr usually doesn't shy away from these things so I was a little surprised.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether your dad walks you to school or walks you to the bus, whether he wears suits or two different socks, whether he has a lot of hair or a little, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of daddy you have, every father is special in his own unique way.

[Aimee Quan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My family and I had to run out and buy The Daddy Book immediately after reading the author's The Mommy Book. It is a gem of a book that playfully and successfully provides an inclusive and heartwarming demonstration of all types of Daddies and families. The illustrations are happy and colourful.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daddies are different from one another, and they might show their children love in different ways, but they all want their children to be they really are. Illustrations are fun and bright in this book.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josie x 2

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brightly colored and simply told book about things daddies do that are different and things they all do that are the same. The illustrations brought on lots of delighted giggles :)

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love me some Todd Parr.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Love Todd Parr.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unexciting

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my toddler Storytime group for Father’s Day. A fun book celebrating all kinds of Dads.

[Avi’s Dad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my 3-year-old daughter's favourite books, and an excellent way for us to bond over discussing our relationship.

[Arham Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colorful illustrations! Loved the book . This book describes my daddy completely!

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got it from my kids for Father’s Day and love it! Todd Parr is a family favorite.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, pleasant, and lightly inspiring

[Zoey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about dad!

[Gia Bittner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and simple!

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Portuguese translation, “O Livro do Papai”

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one slightly more than the mommy one. Some of the things the dads did were funny. Their facial expressions were funny, too, especially the singing one.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly pushed gender norms but I think more could have been done.

[Riki Kellogg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would consider this book to be a fictional work although it could also be considered Nonfiction since it describes different things fathers like to do with their children. All fathers like to have that one special bonding activity with their kids whether it is from near or afar. this can be proven and is factual. I like this book for younger kids. There are no stereotypical colors used for the people in the story and very little writing so the children reading it can come up with their own parts to the story. The text that is included is open so that it can be a catalyst for asking questions for both kids and adults. This book as lots of great primary colors and easy to recognize objects that can also be used similarly to a picture book. You could use this book for nonreaders as well as for beginning readers since they can make up the story from just the illustrations.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes many of the different things daddies can do. There is a nice variety. I think there could be a second book that takes it to another level. The most important thing to learn from the story is that even though daddies can be very different, they all still love their child.