こまるなあ おとうさん

by Meir Shalev

פעם אחת היה ילד ושמו אפרים.
הית הלו אמא, כתבת חדשות,
אפרים חשב שהיא משהו מיוחד.
והיה לו אבא
שרק המציא סיפורים
ותמיד עשה בושות.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

JP Oversized

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Meir Shalev (Hebrew: מאיר שלו) was one of Israel’s most celebrated novelists. He received many awards for his work, including the National Jewish Book Award and Israel’s Brenner Prize, both for A Pigeon and a Boy.

A columnist for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Shalev lived in Jerusalem and in northern Israel with his wife and children.

Reviews

[Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give a colloquial translation of the title as "My Dad is So Embarrassing!"

My daughter asked me to read and translate this children's book about a five year old who thinks he has the most embarrassing father in the history of ever. He carefully documents the ridiculousness of his father, but ultimately discovers a deeper truth.

I found that I knew almost all the words, and reading it closely with my girl (age 14) was a fun exercise. Although simple, it does require at least moderate fluency in Hebrew. She could understand a lot and see the connections between the words in the book and those she knew from the siddur and from her experiences at Jewish summer camp.

It's a very enjoyable little children's story with funny illustrations. I am not aware of any English translation, although I think it would translate well into any culture or language.


Further Reflections

However, on further reflection there are some things that are very dated about this book. On the one hand, there is only one working mother (Ephraim's), and his father is the only baking and home-maker father, which is an apparent source of discomfort. Clearly this is written in a context where such a father is very unusual, some 20 years ago, in Israel. Today, it would be surprising if anyone considered such a father inherently embarassing, and to be fair, the author's primary idea is that Ephraim's father is simply different, not that he is a baker or a care-giver.

Then also, you could argue that the parents' responses to Ephraim's discomfort are rather dismissive and their parenting style rather coercive. The reconciliation comes not in recognizing his discomfort, but in doing something that enables Ephraim to see his problematic father in a different light. Emotional coercion and dismissal of child concerns is of course a real thing, and may well echo the experience of many young children - seeing them represented here in such a gentle and loving way is not necessarily a bad thing. It may give cathartic expression to what it is like to be a child. A children's book does not have to be a parenting manual or document only best practices! On the other hand, the parenting culture that is reflected here seems somewhat out of step with how I or most people I know would choose to parent in 2015, twenty years and several oceans removed from this book. It remains an enjoyable read, if only because even the best parents can be SO embarrassing.


Final Thought

After reading the above to my now 14 year old daughter I was informed that her own parents not only were, in the distant past, known to be embarrassing, but quite possibly to this very day still are, on occasion, SO embarrassing.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Foreign Language: Hebrew
Shalev, Meir. אבא עושה בושות. Published 1990.
Although written in Hebrew, an unable to make out the title or text within the pages, the cartoon illustration on the cover hints at how annoyed this young boy is by his father. The pages within reveal soft watercolor images and full page illustrations depicting a playful, carefree (or careless?) father. The son, however, does not approve and is often seen looking on shocked, embarrassed, or angry. When Mom is shown going off to work with briefcase in hand, you see the young boy frowning. Roles are reversed: not only does mom work outside the home while Dad is the main caregiver, but the boy has to parent the father. He has to wake Dad in the morning, and wait disapprovingly as his father struggles to find his clothes. Yet when Dad bakes a cake to take to the school bake-off, the young boy realizes that maybe having a stay-at-home Dad is not so bad after all. The illustrations in this book do a wonderful job of carrying the story, even when one is unable to read the Hebrew text. However, one should take caution that the father who stays at home is depicted as silly, or childish. Overall, though, this looks like a fun read, especially for those who could identify with having well-meaning and loving parents that could still be so very embarrassing.
Target audience: ages 5-9

[Keri Rohr · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Father Always Embarrasses Me is a cute and funny contemporary realistic fiction book for grades K-2. I enjoyed reading this book, it has an unexpected ending. I think that children will enjoy reading this book as well.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read. It was a book about switched parent roles. I don't think I would read this book in my classroom because I don't want to confuse kids or make any of them feel bad. If this was a problem I noticed in my home I would probably read it to my child.

[Tommy]

this book was translated from the Hebrew by a great and close family friend and i love it. jack loves it too. we love it together.

[Readersaurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and sweet. And, thank goodness, a father who works at home and -gasp- bakes! is no longer an issue. We HAVE come a long way!