Just Like Daddy

by Frank Asch

A very young bear describes all the activities he does during the day that are just like his daddy's.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Storytime

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1981

About the author

Frank Asch is an American children's writer, best known for his Moonbear picture books.

Asch published his first picture book, George's Store, in 1968. The following year he graduated from Cooper Union with a BFA. Since then he has taught at a public school in India, as well as at a Montessori school in the United States, conducted numerous creative workshops for children. He has written over 60 books, including Turtle Tale, Mooncake, I Can Blink and Happy Birthday Moon. In 1989 he wrote Here Comes the Cat! in collaboration with Vladimir Vagin. The book was awarded the Russian National Book Award and was considered the first Russian-American collaboration on a children's book.

Asch lived in Somerville, New Jersey where he and his wife home-schooled their son Devin.

He currently lives in Vermont with his wife, Jan.

Reviews

[Lara Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It such a good book for boys who adore their fathers, but the ending has a cute twist that made me laugh when I read it to my son.

[Orion Kopf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard this one at story time and thought it was pretty cute. Mom laughed at a joke at the end but I dunno what was so funny.

[Mbgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s all about its behemothal size!!!

[Katie Bruff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a father and son doing all of the same activites. His son looks up to him, and wants to do everything his daddy does. They go fishing, picking flowers for mom, and just spending quality time together. At the end of the book, it shows a picture of mom catching a fish just like daddy would. This book encourages young kids to spend time with their families and look up to their parents everyday.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like Frank Asch's books, and this was absolutely adorable and cute, but in my heart I think Sandcake will ALWAYS be my favorite.
I liked how simple this was both in text and illustration, and it would make it pretty easy for young kids to read.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alissa loved the fishing parts.

[Ms. Jeane · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all time favorite book to read during Father's Day! <3

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. Not my favorite but cute enough.

[Tracy Mabry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father's Day themed Storytime: This one is so cute illustration-wise and has a clever little twist at the end!

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/69/17 Read with Naomi & Julia.

[Diressa Belcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baby Bear imitates his father’s actions. Baby Bear yawns, dresses, eats, fishes and uses bait just like his father. The book has a humorous twist. He catches a big fish like his mother!
“Just like Daddy” uses the elements of repetition and imagery. Students are able to see the phrase, “just like daddy,” multiple times. In addition they are able to use the pictures to describe what is happening in the pictures.
In terms of literacy I plan to read this book during the first week of school. After the lesson I will ask students to complete a family tree. I will ask them to describe who they act like in their family. I will have to be sensitive to the fact that some children may not live with their biological parents. I will address this notion by saying; “It’s ok if you do not live with your biological parents because we all act like someone in our home.” I will ask students to use lots of descriptions in their writing.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story, a young bear does everything just like his daddy. He eats a big breakfast, and puts on his coat and boots, just like his daddy. The whole family goes fishing, and finally the young bear catches a big fish…just like mommy!
The illustrations for this book are very clear and colorful paintings. The bears all look very friendly, and it is clear in the illustrations that the young bear is thrilled to do things just like his daddy.
This story is best suited for a one-on-one reading environment. Young children will love hearing about a young bear who wants to be just like his daddy. This is a fun book that children can relate to.

[Asho · Rating 5 out of 5]

My two-year-old fell in love with this book after we checked it out from the library. Every night at story time for at least two weeks he would pull it out of his book bin shouting "Beaws! Beaws!" It definitely works as a simple bedtime story with many familiar objects to point out in the pictures. My son loved pointing out the boots, the bird, and the fish. The little twist at the end was lost on him, but I thought it was really cute. This book has the repetition that is appealing to small children and also makes for a good easy-reader, so I'll have to keep it in mind when we reach that stage in a few years.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was perfect for my Father's Day-themed Spanish and bilingual story time programs. It's short, sweet, and has a funny ending. I actually translated it as a I read it since it's a very simple story. I had the kids say "Just like daddy" every time the story repeated the phrase. I think the story could even be done with props, such as a pillow and a blanket, bar of soap and washcloth, bowl, flower, fishing pole, etc. I will definitely think about using this story with props next year.

[Andrea Retana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this would be a great book to use on Father's Day or to talk about role models. The bear in the book looks up to his Father and wants to be like him. I think this book would be good for Kindergarten. This book is tied into sequencing however, at the end of the book, the line changes to "Just like Mommy" allowing students to extend the book on their own.

[Hae Sun]

This was an easy read book about how a little bear did everything just like his daddy. But don't be fooled, there is a twist at the end of this story. I used this book as a writing tool to teach students that they can create stories that are unpredictable with a twist in their endings. Using key things like repetition was a way students could try to predict the ending but then changing it.

[Kira Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great easy early read for children. Lots of repetition and big words makes this an easy book for young readers to enjoy on their own. They illustrations and story line allows for many text to self connections between students and their parents.

[Kristin Hamrock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great, easy book for children to read. There are a lot of repeating phrases that children like to say during read-aloud. Many text-to-self connections can be made with the child and his daddy as their day is decribed.

[Danielle Desmarais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book I found that is simple for children to read and follow along with. Also gives great opportunity to ask questions about picture relationships in the book. Comes in big-book size, great for read-alouds that children can read-along with.

1st grade reading level.

[Dest · Rating 3 out of 5]

So why read this book on Mothers' Day? Because of the twist at the end.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

child is just like daddy until the end when mommy is the role model. cute for a father's day story time for young children.

[Alysia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute kids book. Meredith likes to say the Just like Daddy part. :-)

[Brittnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute book about a little boy wanting to be just like his daddy. Good book to read when talking about family and the person they look up to the most.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very simple book... really ideal for a toddler, I think. Lucy loves it! She calls it the "daddy" book.

[Amy-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very cute. Students will be able to predict what comes next. The author does a good job with tricking all of us in the end.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read to us by Mrs. Sarah.
This is an excellent book to use to teach about predictions. It also has a surprise ending that teaches our predictions are sometimes wrong and it is okay.

[Christen Griego · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good, simple book that would be good for ELL's because it is repetitive and easy to follow.

[Caitlin Sabers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for discussing predictions. The predictions the author leads the audience to are incorrect. The author is tricking you at the end.

[Dubovoyalena]

cute book on family and patterns has a surprise ending

[Megan Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Repetitive throughout the entire story, with a twist at the end. It's a fun story for children learning to read, allowing them to make predictions about what they think will happen next.