Just in time for Father’s Day, here is a book about the joy of playing with dad, and one about the added joy of grandpas, too.
My Dad is the Best Playground
by Luciana Navarro Powell
Robin Corey Books
ISBN: 978 0 307 93090 3
This cute board book celebrates the way dads and kids often play – a more physical play, in which he becomes the landscape as well as the playmate. It captures with humour and warmth the special and different kind of bonding time that many kids share with their dads, as a pajama-clad boy and girl enjoy and end-of-day romp with dad, who tucks them in at the end.
It’s sweet and fun, and a really nice way to point out that you and the kids appreciate him and all the fun and unique things he brings to family time.
How to Babysit a Grandpa
by Jean Reagan
Knopf
ISBN: 978 0 375 86713 2
This cute picture book purports to be instructions on how to babysit a grandpa, as the title indicates, and is narrated as a sort of running lesson by a young boy who is “looking after” his own grandfather while his parents are out. it’s tongue-in-cheek, of course, and also features a grandpa who is game for pretty much everything, though his energy turns out to be limited. The good thing is, this little guy is a well-behaved type, who draws while his grandpa naps rather than, say, turning the house upside down.
The drawings are droll and illustrate the gap between text and truth nicely, making for an extra source of amusement. It’s a fun one for a kid who has frequent grandparent time – or for a grandfather who enjoys his grandkidlets. We’re planning to give this one away to just suh a person this weekend, in fact.