Dad: A big-hearted tribute to all kinds of fathers everywhere

by Christian Robinson

Dad is strong.
Dad is sweet.
Dad dreams of watching you grow . . .

There are as many ways to be a dad as there are dads in the world. Dad is a love letter to all of them. To the ups and downs, to the quiet and the loud – a loving celebration of the tender moments shared between a father and child.

Written and illustrated by the multi-award-winning Christian Robinson, Dad draws inspiration from the animal world to break stereotypes of fatherhood and pay tribute to the huge range of relationships dads have with their little ones.

Dad is loving, funny and big-hearted – the perfect evergreen gift for new fathers.

Genres: Picture Books

Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 14, 2026

About the author

Christian Robinson is an American illustrator of children's books and an animator. He is based in Sacramento, California and has worked with The Sesame Street Workshop and Pixar Animation Studios. He graduated from the California Institute of the Arts.

Reviews

[January · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dad by Christian Robinson ( May 2026) [reading Jan. 2026]
5m narrated by Joshua Quinn, 48 pages

Genre: Children's Fiction > Picture Book

Rating as a movie: G

Featuring: Paternal Parenting, Sound Effects, Animal List with Nonfiction Information

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👨‍👦🧔🏿‍♂️🦍🦒🦉🦊🐺

My thoughts: I did not have a copy of the picture book that accompanies this audio but I was able to see 3 pages from the story to get an idea of how it looked. Reminded of a more refined Eric Carle. The picture book looks fantastic, and the audio is amazing. The narrator, Joshua has a deep soothing voice, I listened to this on 1x, and there are sound effects so even though I could not see the pages of the story I knew what most of the animals were. I even guessed seahorse even though it was just the sound bubbles and "Dad holds on tight." I think the last time I read an audiobook of this caliber for young children was Mice Squeak, We Speak, 25 years ago. When I had a one-year-old classroom they loved to sit down and read that book with the accompanying audio and I can totally see a group of 12 to 24-month-old children and 2 to 3-year-old children, sitting down in a group and enjoying this story. I can also see 3-6-year-olds sitting down on their own with headphones enjoying this story with the picture book. This audio is so engaging that you honestly do not need the visuals to go with it but I think they are more beneficial than the audio alone. I would definitely have this book in my classroom as well as my personal library for my children. Hopefully, they make a board book version so toddlers can enjoy it independently as well. This story features both animal and human fathers caring for their young, even sharks are mentioned. Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Recommend to others: I definitely recommend this book. It has been a long time since I have read a book of such a rich story for young children, the words are so simple yet so powerful. Which is a nice change from the recycled fluff they've been overproducing for decades. This one is a gem.

Memorable Quotes: Dad wipes away tears, and shares a few of his own.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, well-produced audiobook! Did you know that some frog dads give their tadpoles piggyback rides to the water after they have hatched?

Christian Robinson always packs a lot of emotion into very few words, and this book was no exception. Dad is a very simple story that shows that there are many ways to be a dad, and that dads can be many things at once. I especially enjoyed the explanations for why certain animals were used to support the text.

The narrator, Joshua Quinn, was expressive and would easily draw in young children and support their comprehension. I thought the music was playful without being too distracting.

Thank you to Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

[Just Another Final Girl Review (Brittany) Levely-Connolly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this audiobook arc copy through NetGalley. Recently, I gave birth to my first child. I figured that since I’m already reviewing books that I read for myself why not review ones I read with my daughter. And if I’m going to be honest, as a parent reading children’s books can get very boring and repetitive VERY QUICKLY! Especially for a new mom who has yet to build up a good children’s library at home. So, I used my NetGalley account to request a whole bunch of children’s audiobooks and epubs to read or listen to with my baby.

I hated this audiobook in terms of content, depth and intellectual quality. The narrator and background music was great and my daughter absolutely loved listening to it. But it isn’t something that I would want to listen to on a regular basis, nor would I want to have spent money on this myself. It wasn’t that it was bad in any way. It just was very generic, broad statements about human dads and their relationship with and/or presence in their children’s lives. Ranging from active loving parent to more negative/absent parenting. Then it is followed by very brief facts about the various types and ranges of father-child relationships in the animal kingdom.

The second part was far more interesting than the first part and I wish it overall had been more factual and interesting like the second part.

[Steff Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christian Robinson's Dad is a beautiful book with a wonderful story and the opportunity for some excellent educational moments. The story is mainly focused on different sorts of animal dads and goes through some information about each of them at the end—tell you the truth, this was probably my favorite part.

There's a musicality to the audiobook that makes it a nice addition to the story and definitely one kids can fall asleep to if this is their favorite book. A really great book for dad-centric kiddos, also.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Hannah Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need more books like this for dads! This is an encouraging book for parents to read with their children. Christian did a great job of explaining in a childlike way how parents are flawed and make mistakes every day, but we continue to dream, grow, and try our best for and with our kids.

If you have an animal enthusiast or a child that loves facts, this is a great book to read with your kids. There are so many fun facts about animal dads and how they help feed or play with their animal babies.

“Like mother flamingos, flamingo dads can produce milk for their chicks.”

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ARC of this book!

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of Dad by Christian Robinson. This was such a cute book. I loved the facts about dads in the wild at the end, there were some tidbits I had never known before! I listened to this with my son and he really enjoyed it as well. I would recommend to any soon to be dads or dads to young children to get this book when it comes out!

[Mateo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dad was a sweet, quick listen that worked perfectly in audio. My youngest stayed engaged for most of it, especially enjoying the animal sounds woven throughout the narration. Joshua Quinn’s voice was calm and inviting, making it easy for little listeners to follow along.

A simple but meaningful audiobook that’s great for young kids and worth revisiting.

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

This cute little book that tells you all the ways animals behave as dads and how they are like human dads is a great picture book for kids.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and short audiobook about all the things dads do. I thought the facts about animal dads at the end of the audiobook was a very nice inclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Young Listeners for an early copy.

[Angelica Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audible was a very quick listen but I loved the background noises that went along with the story. The narrator was clear, precise, and kept me listening.

[Lydia Underhill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute audiobook, but I feel like it falls flat without any visuals to accompany it.

thanks netgalley