I Love Dad

by Joanna Walsh, Judi Abbot

Overview

Show Dad how much you care with this warm story of parent appreciation from the creators of The Perfect Hug and The Biggest Kiss, which School Library Journal called “a wonderful cuddle-up-and-read choice.”

When the clock ticks around to a bright new day, I know today will be filled with fun things to do with dad.

From his stubbly kisses to his sky-high piggyback rides to his bedtime stories, no one is quite like dad. This charming picture book is a celebration of fathers everywhere!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481462662
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date:	04/12/2016
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Joanna Walsh has written and illustrated several books for children, including The Biggest Kiss, The Perfect Hug, and I Love Mom, all illustrated by Judi Abbot.

Judi Abbot studied illustration in Milan, Italy. She is the author and illustrator of Mouse’s Christmas Wish. She is also the illustrator of several books for children, including The Biggest Kiss, The Perfect Hug, and I Love Mom, all written by Joanna Walsh.

Editorial Reviews

04/11/2016
This dad-focused companion to 2014’s I Love Mom follows two dinosaurs through a day, with the child praising its father’s accomplishments and talents. From shows of affection (“Nobody’s kisses are so bristly./ Nobody’s stubble so/ double-itchy”) to bike repair (“No one was ever such a fixer-upper”) and just playing around, there’s no competition as far as this young dino is concerned. But while Abbot coaxes substantial emotional tenderness out of the relationship in her loose, mixed-media illustrations, the syntax of Walsh’s semi-rhymed text can be convoluted (“Dad on wheels!/ Dad in the saddle/ cycles faster than a bike will pedal”), making for some herky-jerky reading. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

2016-03-16
I Love Mom (2014) gets its companion title from Walsh and Abbot. Unfortunately, it suffers from problems similar to the ones that sank the first book. This time portraying dad and his child as brightly colored dinosaurs with big heads and goofy grins, the book enumerates all the ways that no one is as good as dad. "Nobody's kisses are so bristly. / Nobody's stubble so double-itchy." Odd things to celebrate, particularly in a reptile, but this dad also "makes breakfast into a festival," rides bikes with his kiddo, plays with board games and toys when it's raining, and makes sure his child's teeth are brushed. The text does not rhyme, which makes the wording seem especially strange and difficult for young readers to parse: "Who else gives me a feeling of being as tall as the ceiling? Better go outside where… / nobody's shoulders could be higher, so near the sky for such a lively ride // … // Cooking with Dad's a laugh, a blast, not half a spoonful wasted." Abbot manages to show lots of emotion from just simple dots and lines for eyes and mouths, and it's clear just how much this child looks up to Dad. Better books about loving fathers and the things they do for their children abound. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews