Father's Day is coming up and reading books about Dad is always a fun way to celebrate. Here are five of my favorites.
1. I Love My Daddy Because... by Laurel Porter-Gaylord with Illustrations by Ashley Wolff.
There are so many reasons to love Daddy! In I Love My Daddy Because... author, Laurel Porter-Gaylord gives us all the reasons why. With illustrations that show a child and her dad as well as illustrations of animals in the wild with a dad, each page shows just how special dads are!
2. All the Little Fathers by Margaret Wise Brown
Such a fun one! On each page you'll find animal fathers doing something meaningful with their little ones. The dog fathers play fetch with their little ones. The squirrel fathers hide nuts. The lion fathers roar with their children. The monkey fathers like to hangout with their little ones...and so on! The illustrations by Marilyn Faucher are warm-toned and really seem to illustrate a sense of comfort and peacefulness.
3. Ladybug Girl and Her Papa by David Soman with Illustrations by Jacky Davis.
I'm sure many of you have already seen some of board books I'm listing, but I always try to recommend older and newer board books. While Ladybug Girl and Her Papa came out in board book format in 2017 it's still a shelf favorite. Lulu, or "Ladybug Girl" as her Papa likes to call her, loves spending time together. Going for hikes, skipping rocks, making pancakes, building a birdhouse, playing peekaboo, or having a tea party on a pirate ship are all things that Ladybug Girl and her Papa like to do. The joy in each illustration is so heartwarming and you can see from every page that spending time together -- enjoying each other's company -- is what allows children and fathers to have such a strong bond.
4. A Father's Love by Hannah Holt with Illustrations by Yee Von Chan.
The rhyming in A Father's Love is so charming and I love the earthy-toned illustrations. In every season, in every moment, a father's love is always there. A beautiful board book and one that fathers and little ones can appreciate all year-round.
5. Is That Your Dad? With Illustrations by Carles Ballesteros.
It wouldn't be Father's Day without some humor and Is That Your Dad? definitely adds some! As Froggy is asked "Is that your dad?" followed by an illustration of a lion, a monkey, a parrot, and a bear, little ones will love giggling over each page until finally Froggy finds his dad.
Enjoy!