When Dads Don't Grow Up

by Marjorie Blain Parker, R.W. Alley (Illustrator)

Overview

An endearing celebration of dads who are young at heart

Just in time for Father's Day, this playful book follows four father-child pairs as they spend happy, silly times together, popping bubble wrap and watching cartoons and taking part in shoppingcart races. These are dads who aren't worried about looking goofy or getting their hair wet - dads who still remember what it's like to be little. Don't be fooled. They may look like grown-ups on the outside, But underneath they're just like you . . . Kids!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803737174
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/15/2012
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	359,284
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Marjorie Parker lives in Denver, Colorado.

Editorial Reviews

It’s a lucky kid, writes Parker, who has a father who never grew up. These fathers understand how to have fun with their kids because they “remember what it’s like to be little.” They know that “pancakes weren’t meant to be round,” they “aren’t worried about looking goofy,” and “they love to mix up the words in bedtime stories.” Alley fills his watercolors—which range from spot art to full spreads—with humorous details: one father throws a rock in a fountain, splashing a nearby woman, and another crashes a shopping cart into a shelf of cans. Parker lovingly portrays playful, imaginative, and inventive fathers who bring joie de vivre to parenting. Ages 3–6. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 2—Dads who remember what it's like to be a child know "that milk tastes better through a straw…that bubble wrap is for popping," and that "they love to mix up the words in bedtime stories." In this tribute to fun-loving fathers, Parker lists their many attributes—including an ability to appreciate the unexpected. Detailed cartoons in pen and ink, watercolor, and colored pencil reflect scenes that have plenty of appeal for children and adults alike. The large font and simple text point out the loving understanding that translates into a close relationship between child and parent. The most important word in the book and these dads' lives is highlighted in the largest font as the only text on a spread: "KIDS!" This title also shows different careers that fathers can have: florist, doctor, businessman, or construction worker. It creates easily identifiable images of parents and their children building memories. A surefire hit.—Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

School Library Journal

Here is an unabashed celebration of dads who enthusiastically embrace their inner children. The results are endearing, sometimes embarrassing but most often hilarious. Parker invites readers to witness the following silly behavior: "When dads don't grow up / they understand that shopping carts are for racing… / that clothes don't have to match… / and that pancakes weren't meant to be round." Alley uses pen and ink, watercolors and colored pencil to show an abundance of humorous details in a series of vignettes that greatly extend the text. A stern grocery-store manager glares at dad and daughter sitting in the wreckage of their shopping-cart race; a professorial dad lectures in a mad combination of stripes, argyle and plaid. Preschoolers will see themselves and, one hopes, their fathers in the madcap situations that populate this title. Whether finding fun in popping bubble wrap, throwing stones in water, playing sports indoors or "getting their hair wet (if they still have any)," the four ethnically and occupationally diverse dads--a florist, a doctor, a businessman and a construction worker--obviously relish these experiences as much as their children do. An ideal choice for sharing with preschoolers and anyone else who has a soft spot for lovable but goofy dads. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews