I Love My Daddy Because...

by Laurel Porter-Gaylord, Ashley Wolff (Illustrator), Laurel Porter Gaylord

The perfect board book for babies and toddlers to read with Dad!

"I love my daddy because he plays with me. . ."

This book begins with a heartwarming scene between a human parent and child, but moves on to loving care in many animal families. "He sings me songs," says a gray wolf cub. "He keeps me safe and warm," says a young penguin. Children will love reading about how baby animals spend time with their dads, and daddies everywhere will love celebrating Father's Day—or any occassion!—with this adorable gift from their little ones.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Animals, Spanish Literature, Love, Storytime

11 pages, Board book

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is just a silly little kid's book, but it's one my dad mailed to me recently, as an "i'm thinking of you" present during my difficult times. although, now that i sit down and muse on it, this seems more like a bald* cry for attention than a sweet gift, right? a passive-aggressive reminder to appreciate him? but when i first opened the package, before i recognized it for the shameless reminder to 'honor thy father' it so clearly is**, i must admit i got a little choked up with how much i love my thoughtful daddy.

it was the first page that ruined me, because that dude actually looks like my daddy did when i was a little'un. i was way cuter than that kid, though. she's average at best.



after that it was all about animal daddies, none of which resembled mine in the least.



but it's a really sweet and cute book, and a perfect opportunity for me to tell my dad how awesome he is, and i bet he could totally build a house.



so thank you for thinking of me, daddy, and i will always appreciate the things you do for me. especially the yummy things



feel free to hop on a plane and make me some steaks. i'm free this evening.


* no pun intended, daddy! you know how i feel about puns!

** i'm just keeeeeeeding, of course

come to my blog!

[Gracie Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“5 since it’s about daddy”- Gracie
“I love the daddy book” (the gave me a big hug)- Adaline

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is pretty okay but in the back it says "the animal behavior pictured in this book has been verified by wildlife biologists" and honestly it feels like such a "TAKE THAT OTHER BOOKS" that it deserves five stars.
Also as other reviews mention, it has English and Spanish, and labels the animals really well while conveying a fun fact about them.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025

2022

2021
Gift from Harper's grandmother

Cute. It's an imagination library book, so we will eventually be getting another copy for Harper, but it's still a cute book

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures!
A sweet story with a list of things daddys do for their babies, be they animal or human.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my stepdaughter learns to read, she loves to read the grownups a board book, and then we read her a more advanced story before bed. This is one of our favorites for her to read to us, it is so sweet!

[Frankie S · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet book! Frankie wanted to read it to his daddy so I whispered him words and he read it. I also like how it illustrates and in smaller texts real animals so you can learn/identify about them too.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book but got the wrong one -- the one my friend shared with me is in English and Spanish!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that this book has a lot packed into it for a kid's board book. First of all, it's in English and Spanish. I think it's humorous that I even attempt to know how to pronounce the Spanish. Anyway - the names of the animals are also in the book. My son had this one practically memorized after a couple of readings. Needless to say, he really loved it and the companion book - "I Love My Mommy Because".

[Dolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful ode to Daddies. The pictures are crisp and expressive and they are labeled with the kind of animal depicted. The sentences are simple, yet mimic the relationship between the animals as well as father and daughter. Our oldest likes this book so much she read it aloud four times today!

[Fritz Loehrke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best Imagination Library book we've gotten so far. It's bilingual Spanish and English, the animal behavior is verified by wildlife biologists (says so at the end), and it's a nice message, cute, and well written. Minus one star because we don't like giraffes, and there are giraffes in this book.

[James]

"I love my mommy because she gives me great big hugs." "I love my daddy because he takes naps with me." These two beloved, best-selling concept books, richly illustrated by Ashley Wolff, are now available as board books for small hands.  The youngest nursery tots will appreciate how phrases and actions from their own experiences also apply to animal babies.  Each book begins with an affectionate scene between a human parent and child, but moves on to caregiving in animal families.  "She listens when I talk" shows a mamma cat and her mewing kitten.  "She tucks me in features a kangaroo with her joey peeking out of her pouch.  "He sings me songs" shows a gray wolf and his cub.  In concept, text, and art, these are among the most warm and reassuring lap books ever.

[Andrés · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent. It features nearly 20 different species, with their names written clearly at the top of each page. The “papá” qualities have a good chance of being almost universally common (more than most “ode to a parent” books) because they concern the care and well-being of the young. The bilingual opportunity is appreciated. The illustrations are very clear and expressive and feel almost like a science textbook. My only comment is the into and outro human parent / child pictures create a specific image that will be impossible for every reader to see themselves in. At a minimum, the images could be one girl and one boy, since the characters are different anyway. Or maybe there could have been four squares with different parents and children to make it feel even more universal.

[Kyle Hamlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very sweet one where the story talks about why they love their daddy and how there are different animals in the world and which ones love each other. It shows the different ways in which animals care for their loved ones and the pictures are not real but are not to cartoony as well. The pictures also have what type of animal is being described at the top which is very neat for those who are reading and wondering what types of animals are being described. I think this book would be great for kindergarten and first grade.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amo este libro. Este libro es maravilloso cuando las familias trabajan juntas para aprender inglés. Cada página presenta un animal diferente. Pueden aprender juntos y compartir este libro familiar.


i love this book. This book is a wonderful book when families are working together to learn English. Each page features a different animal. You can learn together And share this family friendly book.

Hopefully that translated o.k. I do not speak Spanish.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great find for me! An English and Spanish version, to share with my grandchildren! The wonderful pictures by Ashley Wolff lovingly illustrate the many ways in which a father shows his love to his child, through wildlife and nature scenes. Each animal is identified at the top of the page in English and Spanish. This is one of my favorites.

[Sorento62 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice board book about animal and human daddies and all the great stuff they do for their kids. 1-1/2 year old granddaughter seems to like it too.

There is a companion book, I Love My Mommy Because...

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so glad that we received this book because we had already received the mommy version. It's so stinking cute and I just love these. A sweet message and I love all the animals that we can teach her.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son loves this book and would read it every day if we let him. Sometimes more than that!

I think the biggest draw of the book are the realistic pictures of animals. He loves looking at the animals and making the animal sounds. And he has even started asking for it by name - ‘dada’.

[Lisa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it is in English and Spanish. I like dual language books. It is inclusive language wise. It may not be inclusive if the children in your class do not have a father that is around. There is a version of this book that is for moms too.

[Joshua J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my son at night and it is a great way for me to be close to him and remind him how much I love him as he is getting ready to go to sleep. He can have a bit of a hard time calming his body and mind, being close and reading together helps. This book is a staple in our routine.

[Alex Cruse]

Another library find that will now result in owning a hard copy. Obvi cute message but it has great animal illustrations with descriptions of the animals, so that will be fun as Art ages past just wanting to eat the book. Also made me tear up.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book for daddy to read to their child. such a lovely story

[Amelie Melgar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book happens to describe my dad very well, but it’s very gender-normative.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful bilingual book!

[Rovona Clark]

It came the day after our first Father’s Day!

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library - June 2020

[Kayla Angulo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book for babies and toddlers. I can't wait to share this adorable book with my father.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my students actually read this to me this morning.

[Josephine Burks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute! Great intro to learning Spanish!! Loved it!

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great Daddy snd child book. Each page shows an animal with their baby. And in little text it tells what animal it is and what the daddy does for the child/family