M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Spend Time with Dad through Books
By Holly E. Newton

Father’s Day is the perfect day to spend special time with Dad.  Here are some great picture books to help celebrate this special day. 

Panda Whispers, by Mary Beth Owens, is an inspiring tale that begins with a father reading to his daughter just before bedtime.  He reads about animals from far and wide as they settle down with their offspring and the whisperings of encouragement they give them just before sleep.  The panda parent whispers, “Dream of climbing”; the penguin parent whispers, “Use your belly,” and the llama parent whispers, “Top of the world!”  Each animal is beautifully painted, also illustrated by the author, with vivid colors that fill both pages and work perfectly with the rhyming text.  “In a bedroom, child and father / hear the ocean in the night. / Dream you’ll sail to far-off places, then sail back by morning’s light.”  Here’s a story that will help your little ones drift off to sleep feeling loved and secure.

Has Anyone Seen My Emily Greene?, by Norma Fox Mazer, is the quintessential example of the children’s favorite game of hide and seek.  Dad has just made lunch for Emily but can’t seem to find her anywhere.  “She’s not in the sink.  She’s not in the drawer.  She’s not in the pantry or behind the door.”  The sing-song text takes on a rhythm of its own as he searches throughout the house in the most unusual places.  He looks in the air, in the blinds and even in her socks, but can’t seem to find her until he hears a very loud stomp on the floor and then a “tremendous ROAR!”  Now, at last, they can sit down to a delicious lunch of “oodles of noodles” and “brown-sugar ham, and fresh-baked bread with strawberry jam.”  I found it most interesting when I read the back flap about the author.  She wrote this wonderful story 12 years ago for her daughter to illustrate.  But her daughter passed away six years ago.  When she saw Christine Davenier’s animated watercolors and the similarities between this illustrator and her daughter, this adorable book was completed.

Do you have a special day every week or month that you spend with your child?  If your answer is no, now is the time to begin.  Every Friday, by Dan Yaccarino, is his celebration of going out with his son every Friday.  In the author’s note at the beginning of the story, the author states that he’s been taking his son to breakfast every Friday since his son was three.  He recommends that every parent do something similar.  The story is told from the child’s point of view and begins when both father and son leave their apartment building early in the morning.  It doesn’t matter if it’s very cold, very wet or very hot; they head out for their diner every week. 

The story relates all that the boy sees as they walk together.  The story obviously takes place in a big city and, as the author lives in New York City, it makes sense all that father and son see.  They see construction under way, stores open, people they recognize and many of them in a rush to get to work.  When they finally arrive to eat, they “talk about all sorts of things.”  Then it’s time to head back home.  The last sentence indicates how much this small child looks forward to these little “dates” with dad.  The waitress tells father and son that she’ll see them next Friday.  “Already, I can’t wait.”  The bright watercolors are a perfect combination with the story and are also done by Yaccarino.

Are you looking for the perfect day?  From a child’s vantage point, the perfect day would be to spend it with mom or dad.  A Perfect Day, by Remy Charlip, is a celebration of what a day full of activities planned by a father with his child — if given the opportunity.  They would have breakfast together.  They would go on a walk and lie down to imagine while observing clouds overhead.  They would invite friends over for a picnic outside and then sing and play all together.  Later, they would “cuddle up upon my lap, close your eyes and take a nap.”  Charlip painted full pages of bright and glorious pictures that seamlessly go along with his poetic text.  Here is the perfect lap book for a youngster to curl up with their parent — and to enjoy!

How about a book full of imagination and creativity?  Daddy’s Song, by Leslea Newman, is fun and inventive and will most likely bring smiles and giggles to your little listener.  As dad gets ready to tuck his little girl in bed, he begins his “Daddy’s Song”.  And this starts the silliness.  “If ice cream cones fall from the sky ,/ And cats grow wings and start to fly, / If foxes play with balls and bats, / And chickens wear fine coats and hats….” And so on.  The gorgeous pictures, by Karen Ritz, look so real you almost think that cats with wings are real.  If you are looking for the book to make you wonder and smile, this is the book for you!

What if your little one doesn’t have a father?  A Father Like That, by Charlotte Zolotow, helps celebrate Father’s Day even if you don’t have a dad.  “I wish I had a father.  But my father went away before I was born.  I say to my mother, You know what he’d be like?”  The boy proceeds to outline the many activities that he would do with his dad.  They’d walk down the street together just before both turn in opposite directions to go to school and work.  They’d wash the dinner dishes together and then play checkers.  His dad would read a story just before bedtime.  They’d share a soda together and talk to the boy’s teacher.  So many things to do with a dad that’s not there.  But a story that could be sad actually celebrates being a good and responsible father because the mom tells her son, “When you grow up, you can be a father like that yourself!”

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