I Love Dad

by Joanna Walsh, J.M. Walsh, Judi Abbot (Illustrator)

Show Dad how much you care with this warm story of parent appreciation from the creators of The Perfect Hug and The Biggest Kiss , which School Library Journal called “a wonderful cuddle-up-and-read choice.”

When the clock ticks around to a bright new day, I know today will be filled with fun things to do with dad.

From his stubbly kisses to his sky-high piggyback rides to his bedtime stories, no one is quite like dad. This charming picture book is a celebration of fathers everywhere!

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Dinosaurs, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you love about your dad?

Cooking with your dad?

Playing with your dad?

There's no one like your dad, and Joanna Walsh shares a hundred ways dad and child enjoy being with each other.

It's a perfect book to give your dad (no matter your age) for Father's Day.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can be surprisingly hard to find books that showcase dads doing the day-t0-day parenting, and don't lead the reader to assume that he's just gotten home from work, etc. This simple book is lovely for that reason: Dad spends the whole day with his baby dinosaur.

[el_paraiso_en_letras Fani. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro nos cuenta la preciosa relación entre un papá dinosaurio y su hijo, junto a ellos viviremos mil aventuras.
Recordaremos la importancia de los cuidados y de pasar tiempo junto a nuestros hijos en la infancia, la bonito que resulta divertirse juntos día a día y saber que al final del camino siempre podrán contar con su papá.

Un libro plagado de momentos cotidianos como ir en bici, cocinar juntos, leer el cuento de la noche y de reir en todo momento.

La edición es preciosa, los dibujos son entrañables y no tiene demasiada frases por lo que pueden leerlo peques de 5 o 6 años.

También encontraremos la edición ¡Te quiero, mamá!, ambas son un regalo maravilloso para padres e hijos, seguro que les encantan.

[Khari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dawwwwwwwwwwww.

This was just about the cutest book ever.

Absolutely adorable.

This book has lots of word play, alliteration, rhyming, rhythm and meter. It's not consistent throughout the book, each page being different, but it would be a delight to read out loud and kids would get a blast out of trying to imitate speaking around a toothbrush.

This book celebrates the special relationship between children and their fathers, and presents it through adorable dinosaur characters.

Just plain awesome.

Story: Narrative, spending time with dad.
Art: Adorable
Price: $7.99

Buy this book, it's great, and it's cheap.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I read to my newborn, five days old. I read the book in ASL. My mother recorded us. After watching the video, I cried. My son, Hearing, was clearly watching me sign to him with voice off.

I will not forget this bonding experience with him. 💚

[Carolina Florensa Bello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro infantil precioso, con unas ilustraciones muy coloridas y vistosas, ideales para hacer las delicias de los más peques.

No tiene una historia en sí, si no que cuenta momentos que hacen feliz a un pequeño dinosaurio junto a su papá: los besos con barba de tres días, cuando juega con él, cuando cocinan juntos o cuando van de paseo.

Además la edición es muy bonita, grande y llamativa. Un bonito regalo tanto para padres como para hijos para disfrutar entre sus ilustraciones y sentirse identificados en sus letras.

[Andrés · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice focus on dad and tot. Colorful pictures. Some new vocabulary (bristly, festival, queasy, grease, squirts, freewheel, tiddlywinks, enthusiastic, kung-fu kick), though the rhyming didn't always work for me. Odes to mom or dad are always tricky because generic is boring and specific will not apply to everyone. This book read as this particular Dino's dad, though, so it didn't feel like it needed to be directly transferrable.

[carpe librorum :)]

Quando tenho tempo, espreito as prateleiras dos livros no supermercado e desta vez, encontrei esta ternura que não resisti a folhear. As ilustrações são muito bem esgalhadas, as personagens são dinossauros com muita personalidade e o texto é um poema que soa lindamente, mesmo sendo uma tradução. Gostei da textura da capa :)

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet and cuddly book, love my Dad and love this book.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que ternura!!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun illustration s. Good concept. Didn’t enjoy the rhyming pattern.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very sweet story. The illustrations are bright and colorful and I love the way the words flow (it uses wordplay to get close to rhyming without being overly "rhyme-y" and gimmicky).

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. 2 year old wanted to read it again right away.

[Chloe Sun · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t enjoy the infrequent rhyming pattern and didn’t understand the relevance, if any, of the characters being dinosaurs

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The inconsistent rhyme scheme drives me bonkers

[Owen & Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The alliteration and word play in this story makes it very fun to read.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great opportunity to build language, extend concepts, and similes.
Colorful, child-friendly illustrations extend the text, such as "Cooking with Dad's a laugh..." shows Dad blowing on a campfire to toast marshmallows.
I would not read this with a classroom as there are too many children without such charming, 'present,' fathers, but perfect for one-on-one sharing.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

No one is quite like dad. All day long dad is there to brighten the day, from his morning snores, to his stubbly kisses. He makes breakfast oh so fun, and he tickles oh so silly. No one can play like dad, from his shoulder rides to his foot swings, he knows just how to make you soar. When the day is done it’s dad who makes the best dinner, gets you to brush your teeth, and makes bedtime an adventure!

I Love Dad, is a charming snuggle up read for dads and their little dinosaurs. With bright colors, delightful character and whimsical illustrations, little ones can follow along or snuggle up in your lap. No matter how you choose to read this book, you are sure to find yourself counting all the ways you can enjoy the day with your little one.

you can find the rest of my review and more in my syndicated newspaper column: For the Love of Books-Dixon's Independent Voice, as well as more of my reviews in: San Diego Book Review & San Francisco Book Review

[Aeicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love Dad is a super charming and delightful celebration of daddies and all the super-duper things they do! Little readers will be eager to snuggle up to dad and join the wee dinosaur and his/her larger-than-life father dinosaur as they have ferociously fun adventures.

With simple, sing-song text and bright, bold colors, I Love Dad is eye-catching, engaging, and giggle-inducing. Perfect for one-on-one cuddle time! My niece really loves this one and we'll be wrapping it up for her daddy for Father's Day :)

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love Dad is a homage to the sweet relationship between this father dinosaur and his little one. Highlighting all the ways that this father provides for his son, it's clear that these two love each other. The bright, colorful illustrations add the perfect touch to this adorable book about the fun a father and son can have together. This book is a truly worthy tribute to those father's who sacrifice so much to spend time with their children. Fathers like mine.

[Christine Turner]

Show Dad how much you care with this warm story of parent appreciation from the creators of The Perfect Hug and The Biggest Kiss , which School Library Journal called "a wonderful cuddle-up-and-read choice." When the clock ticks around to a bright new day, I know today will be filled with fun things to do with dad. From his stubbly kisses to his sky-high piggyback rides to his bedtime stories, no one is quite like dad. This charming picture book is a celebration of fathers everywhere!

[Minna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artwork was delightful, but the book had poor cadence for reading aloud. Some things rhymed, but most didn't, and the variation in word size/sentence length made it difficult to pace the rhythm when reading to my son. My 2-year old's attention wasn't really held all that well. This might be a better story for slightly older kids.

[Linda (bythebellbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

We read the Greek translation of the book that we took in the public library. My girl didn't like the book since she didn't find anything common with her dad and the dad of the little dinosaur... She told that mom is doing all the activities that were described in the book ;-) On the other hand - the pictures were cute and the letters easy to read ;-)

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sentimental and completely unsurprising.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A love letter to Dad's. A young colorful dinosaur explains all the things he loves doing with his dad. Cute and colorful short enough for toddlers.

[Casandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and enthusiastic. Great for dinosaur lovers who also love their dads!