Oh, Daddy!: A Funny and Lovable Picture Book About Silly Daddies for Kids

by Bob Shea

Daddies . . . They can be funny and lovable and really, really silly.

Oh, Daddy!

The acclaimed author of "Dinosaur vs. Bedtime" delivers a sweetly funny story about daddies and their kids and how much they depend on each other. Perfect for Father's Day. Full color.

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

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Bob Shea has written and illustrated over a dozen picture books including the popular Dinosaur vs. Bedtime and the cult favorite Big Plans illustrated by Lane Smith.

His characters and animations have appeared on Nick Jr, Playhouse Disney and PBS Kids.

Bob spends his days writing, drawing and having “conversations” with NPR.

Reviews

[Arapahoe Libraries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for Father's Day or any time. If only parenting were always this easy!

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The pictures were too busy and crowded and it was hard to tell what was going on. I know this was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek funny, but the book just made dads look stupid, not a message I want to send my preschoolers.

[Aneesa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giving away our secrets

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from the point of view of a very busy little boy, this book highlights the antics his father with undergo to get his son moving along. In order to get him dressed, his father puts underwear on his head and asks if that is right. Climbing in the car window, gets him to get into the car quickly. Juggling carrots leads to the boy eating them eagerly. This is inspiration for parents, especially fathers, to get silly to get things done.

This positive and silly parenting style is a pleasure to read about. It got me thinking about the antics we would undergo when my sons were in preschool and Kindergarten. Laughter is a great way to speed getting dressed along. I always ended up with rabbit ears made out of sweatpants and my toes peeking out of tiny sleeves.

It is also nice to see a father depicted as this involved with his child and the mother making appearances but not as a featured character. There is no instance where the dad is not the one dealing confidently and positively with his son. Very refreshing to see.

Shea is the author of several successful picture books. His writing is filled with great short sentences that are simple but also filled with humor and a sense of fun. His illustrations are bright colored, simple and modern. This round blue family is sure to be a hit with preschoolers.

A perfect Father’s Day read, this is also a great book to read aloud just for laughs. Guaranteed to get you and your audience giggling. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We recently saw Bob Shea at the National Book Festival at the National Mall in Washington DC. He's a very interesting and down-to-earth dad who writes about what he knows and experiences through being a parent. After the event, we decided to borrow more of his books from our local library.

In this story, a dad uses humor and silliness to keep his little one focused and on track. Instead of nagging the little boy to get dressed, get in the car, eat food properly, etc., the hippo dad makes 'mistakes' and allows the little boy to model the correct behavior. The result is a lot of laughs and fun and a lot of "Oh, Daddy!" remarks from the little boy.

We really enjoyed reading this book together. While I will often resort to silliness and humor to keep our girls focused, this is a great reminder to nag less and laugh more!

[Jess Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely adorable, and perfect for preschoolers who will appreciate all of its silliness! In Oh, Daddy!, the father busies himself doing all the wrong things--he can't eat lunch right, can't water the flowers right, and can't give hugs the right way. He needs a lot of help from the child. When the father does something silly (like putting underwear on his head) he asks, "Is this how you (get dressed)?" And the child replies, "Oh, Daddy!" This book is sure to stir up some giggles and glee. I can remember my own father doing silly things just to make me smile. What a warm, sweet book! Gotta love Bob Shea.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Bob Shea, but his books don't always go over so great at storytime. I've read both New Socks and Big Plans, and I get the same sort of looks - just kind of stares, really. But this book I think would appeal to all! It's so silly. Plus we've tested it out, and it really works! Bonus: we have also added the phrase "easy peasy, mac and cheesy" to our family vocabulary.

[The Library Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not crazy about Shea's art style--the blue hippos are somehow jarring. But the "dad is a doofus, I'm the smart one" will appeal to all the kids soon to see the same sort of thing in most kids cartoons.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an oh-so-adorable reminder that parenting, while very serious work, can sometimes be fun.

I happen to know that Bob Shea draws one shape -- the jellybean --but he does it so very well.

[Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

silly and cute!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A daddy cleverly makes his child believe he needs instruction in everything, which leads the child to do the things he's expected to do in demonstrating to his daddy. OR, in other words, a child thinks he has to help his daddy with everything, while he is really being gently and cleverly manipulated into doing the things he should be doing.

[Camille Rickis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very cute book about a hippo father and son. The father tries to teach his son how to do things by doing them wrong and having his son correct him. Children reading this book will find the way the father goes about doing things very silly, just like the son does. The illustrations are okay

[Jj · Rating 4 out of 5]

How is it that I never read this book before? It's a silly and sweet romp through daily life with a little hippo kid and its father. I love the playful tone and relationship here. I will definitely use this one for Father's Day storytimes, book lists, and displays going forward.

[Peyton Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book that could be used during read-aloud. There really isn't much lesson potential based on this book. However, the fun pictures, vocabulary, and silly humor make this a great book to engage students during story time!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and humorous twist on how a father gets his son to cooperate throughout the day.

[Ms. Jeane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This goofy book is a great read aloud about a goofy father who does things wrong so his child will do them right! Love it!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes me laugh every time!

[Michelle Farella · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADORABLE!

[Christine Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Father's Day Story Time.

This is a simple story about how children have to teach Daddy everything! Cute.

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a silly daddy who does things silly so that his son can show him the right way to do things

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storytime:
Dads

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! Perhaps more of a book for parents than kids, as moms and dads will surely laugh at Daddy's antics/tactics to get little hippo to get moving in the right direction.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this over and over. Jamesy loved it.

[Steph]

Turn/Level: 2/2

Themes: Father/Child

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute for family-themed storytimes

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an adorable - and sneaky! - book!

[Charlotte H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

this kid would not do things so in coming daddy to the rescue
funny,cute.
READ!

[Addie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. 2 year old loved this and totally didn't get it, haha....but she thought the end was oh so cute and came back to aww at it later.

[CWillow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very silly book where Daddy gets the kid to do the right thing while making them laugh!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an adorable book. A dad pretends not to know how to do things like get dressed or water the garden so that the child gets to show the dad how to do those things.