Looking Forward ~ Looking Back <br><i>This Week In Books</i>

This weeks Sunday Salon is

a homage to Fathers and
Father's Day!

Here’s a list of a few great
father’s day picture books
and books about fathers!

	I Love my Daddy by Sebastien Braun. This lovely book is my purchase this year for my husband’s second Father’s Day. Beautiful full-page pictures of a bear father and son that invoke, comfort, safety and happiness in their simple design. The text is simply the little bear’s description of everything his father does for and with him. It’s sweet and touching and perfect to celebrate the father’s love and duty to their child. Ages 0-4.
	Daddy Kisses by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben. A board book that depicts the bond between a father and child throughout all different critters. Soft, sweet pictures and simple text make this a great choice for a very young audience. Ages 0-4.
	Papa’s Song by Kate McMullen and Jim McMullen. It features a baby whom no one can get to go to sleep—at least until Papa takes him out on a boat ride at night and shares his “song” of the night sounds with him. It’s a lovely little book—check your library for it! Ages 0-5.
	My Daddy is a Giant by Carl Norac, illustrated by Ingrid Goden. What little child doesn’t think their daddy is a giant? This book runs with that image and shows how big daddy is in the imagination of his child. I haven’t gotten the chance to do a full read-through yet—the book no sooner landed in my hands at the library than a patron snapped it up to bring home! Ages 3-5.
	You Can Do Anything Daddy by Michael Rex. This is a great little book I got for my husband last year. Sort of like an action adventure version of the Runaway Bunny, a little boy comes up with wilder and wilder scenarios of robots and pirates etc and his daddy rescues him—until at the last the tables are turned and the boy rescues his father. Sweet without being sugary. Ages 4-8.
	Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer. The little Critter books are a charming series that have been around since my childhood. They make excellent gifts to a parent with a youngster and they’re simple reading for parent-child sharing. This one specifically celebrates the child and father relationship, but Just For You is also a great choice. Ages 3-6.
	My Red Balloon by Eve Bunting and Kay Life. Okay, this is an odd one, but then Eve Bunting has a tendency to tackle a range of issues and life situations. In this one a little boy is waiting for his navy father to come home, but when he loses his welcome home balloon while waiting, he’s afraid his father won’t know him. Of course his father does and the last images of the book show the happy reunion of their family. It’s sweet and a sensitive book that would work for some children whose fathers and mothers are serving in the military. Ages 5-8.

My Father the Dog by Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrated by Randy Cecil.

If you don’t mind something a little offbeat, or think the other offerings here are too sugary or sweet—this might be your cup of tea. A little girl is convinced that her father is really a dog and uses the book to prove her point as she points out all the behaviors the two have in common, funny and irreverent, this is best for those adults who don’t take themselves too seriously and have a good sense of humor. Ages 5-8.

In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers by Javaka Steptoe.

A collection of poems celebrating African American fathers. A powerful and thoughtful book that I think important for the messages it conveys about the power fathers have in the lives of their children. As the Ashanti proverb included at the opening of the book says : “ When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him.” Ages 4-12.

	Just Like Dad by Frank Asch. Classic Frank Asch story that lovingly relates how the little cub wants to be just like daddy... right up until the end :]
	Just Dads by Bonnie Louise Kuchler. This book has some wonderful photographs. One of the cutest is of a little wolf howling with his father.