Father Picture Books

Navigating Night

by Julie Leung (Author), Angie Kang (Illustrator) 

Summary: A Chinese-American girl helps her father, who is a Chinese immigrant, deliver food from their restaurant each night. She reads the map and road signs, navigating to the correct destinations. She does not want to do this anymore and wants to be like the other kids she sees in homes. After hearing her father’s immigration journey, she realizes how hard they work so that she will have a better life in the USA.

Comments: I think this would be a story to share with intermediate students to discuss a realistic look at the immigration journey of working hard for a better life. It builds an understanding of classmates with similar responsibilities.

The backmatter tells us that the book is based on the author’s own life.

The illustrations are created in gouache, crayon, colored pencil and pastel to emphasize the colors of a rainy night.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Haircut Day with Dad

by Monica Mikai (Author)

Summary:
It’s Saturday morning, which means it’s time for a trip to the barbershop with Dad. A young boy shares this special bonding ritual of getting a haircut alongside his father while surrounded by other men enjoying fresh cuts, watching a basketball game, and chatting together. By the end of the visit, the boy proudly pays the barber with his own money, making the experience feel like a rite of passage.

Comments: The sensory details of the story had me in that barbershop. The story provides discussions about self-image and family rituals.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Sarabeth’s Garage

by Melanie Florence (Author), Nadia Alam

Summary: Sarabeth loves everything about cars and especially Saturdays when she spends time with her father in his garage. Her grandmother does not approve and believes Sarabeth is not acting like little girls did in her day. It wasn’t until Grandmother’s car broke down that she began to appreciate her granddaughter’s passion.

Comments: This is a good text resource for breaking stereotypes and encouraging students to follow what they are good at doing. Students could also discuss what hobbies they share with their family.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Just Try It! Someplace New! (A Phil & Lil Book)

by Phil Rosenthal (Author), Lily Rosenthal (Author), Luke Flowers (Illustrator) 

Summary: Lil is nervous about the trip she and her father are going to take to grandma’s house. They are staying for three days and Lil discusses things that could irrationally and outlandishly happen while her father reassures her everything will be okay. They pack up and drive to grandma’s to find out that indeed everything is wonderful there.

Comments: This is the second book of the father and daughter duo. They humorously examine growth mindset and being flexible with change by just trying something that may be new. This is an excellent text for discussing anxiety and being nervous about new things regardless of age.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Thunderland

by Maggie Edkins Willis

Summary: A young girl hides under the sink during a loud thunderstorm. She is afraid of the noise it makes but her father is not. He encourages her to go to Thunderland with him where there is hot chocolate and cookies. The father successfully teaches his daughter ways to confront the storm and live through it.

Comments: Thunderland is a playful world where the father helps his daughter face the noise and find bravery. I found this to be a great read-aloud for students to realize that others may have fears just like them.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Brave 

by Weshoyot Alvitre (Author, Illustrator)

Summary: A young Indigenous boy admires his father’s long hair and that of dancers at a powwow. Although he is teased at school, he wants to have long braids. His father tells him about the history of how his hair and that of other Indigenous people was cut as he combs his son’s hair. He explains how they had to be brave and strong. The boy decides he wants to be like his ancestors and grow his hair long, too.

Comments: This would be a wonderful classroom read-aloud for intermediate students. It gently explores the significance of having one’s hair cut against one’s will. It introduces the history of Indian Residential Schools. It could be a prompt for students to discuss how they can support fellow classmates with cultural traditions they may not be familiar with.

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Grumpy Monkey Father’s Day Fuss

by Suzanne Lang (Author), Max Lang (Illustrator) 

Summary: Jim Panzee thinks of ways to celebrate Father’s Day with his father, Chip. Jim realizes that they should include Grandpanzee but finds out that not all dads like to celebrate the same way. Some like a big fuss while others like it to be simple and quiet.

Comments: I think this would make an excellent SEL mentor text for discussing how holidays and celebrations can look different for everyone. Some people enjoy large gatherings and noise, while others prefer quieter and simpler moments. The story encourages students to recognize their own feelings and comfort levels rather than feeling pressured to celebrate the same way as everyone else.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

The Best Daddy of All 

by Peter Horn (Author), Jessica Meserve (Illustrator), Johanna McCalmont (Translator)

Summary: Sebastian spends the day with his father, walking through the meadow and around the pond, learning about what other dads do for their children. His father turns it into a game by describing what different daddy creatures do, and Sebastian has to guess which creature he describes.

Comments: This story is a cuddly, bedtime book.

The book was originally published in Switzerland. The book I looked at was in English and printed in Riga, Latvia.

Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Jollof Day 

by Bernard Mensah (Author), Annalise Barber-Opp (Illustrator)

Summary: A young boy and his dad wake up before the rest of the family on Jollof Day to prepare a special stew. They joyfully chop the ingredients and let the stew simmer. When the rest of the family wakes up, everyone sits down together for the special meal.

Comments: The recipe for the jollof rice dish is in the back of the book.

The bright and dynamic illustrations were created using watercolor paints, gouache, colored pencils, and digital edits in Photoshop.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Little Big Man 

by Varian Johnson (Author), Reggie Brown (Illustrator)

Summary: Elijah eagerly waits for his father’s return from work so they can fly his new kite together. However, his father has to work over the weekend. Instead, the two of them work together to clean the house and help his mother with the newborn baby. Following his father’s example, Elijah learns to do household chores.

Comments: I appreciate Elijah’s father’s patience and encouragement as his son learns to follow his lead and assist in the house and to also help others in the neighborhood.

The illustrations were created digitally using Adobe Photoshop.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Love, Dad: Inspiring Notes from Fathers to Kids 

by Dr. Joel Warsh (Author), Andrew Gardner (Author), David Cooper (Illustrator)

Summary: This book is a collection of 18 short notes from various fathers, each beginning with “I hope you…” to support their children’s growth with themes of perseverance, hope, and self-discovery.

Comments: This is a superb mentor text for SEL. A writing activity would be for students to write letters to their future selves.

The illustrations were created using digital media.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

Riding Through Rice Fields: A Trip to the Philippines 

by Michelle Sterling (Author), Bianca Austria (Illustrator)

Summary: Mateo and his father are struggling to connect until a family reunion in the Philippines helps strengthen their bond as they embark on an adventure together while bicycling across the country.

Comments: Mateo learns about bayanihan, the practice of people coming together to help those in need. I believe that reading this book aloud in the classroom and discussing bayanihan could be beneficial throughout the entire year.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page.

With Dad 

by Richard Jackson (Author), Brian Floca (Illustrator)

Summary: A son and father drive a red Jeep along the upper South Branch Stream of the Au Sable River in Michigan. The father allows his boy to sit in his lap and steer while he drives. They set up their campsite and go trout fishing, where they catch one. The boy is shown how to gut the fish and fry it.

They spend time around the campfire under the full moon talking and joking around.

They return from their trip when his father goes off to war. He and his mother read air-mail letters together, looking forward to his return.

Comments: This is an autobiographical story set in the early 1950s during the Korean War when the author’s father was called away for duty.

There is more of an explanation for the creation of the story on the copyright page.

The illustrations were beautifully crafted using pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache, giving the story a lovely summery feel.

Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Sydney’s Big Speech

by Malcolm Newsome (Author), Jade Orlando (Illustrator)

Summary: Sydney feels shy on her first day of school and is worried about the speech she has to give to the class. Her father reminds her of all the role models who had to give speeches and practices with his daughter to help her build confidence.

Will Sydney be able to give her speech about what she wants to do when she grows up?

Comments: The back page has short biographical sketches of the female leaders the father shared.

The illustrations are created using watercolor and digital media.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Dad Jokes: The Cheesiest, Corniest Joke Book Ever!

by Highlights (Creator)

Summary: This nonfiction collection of 900+ Dad jokes includes a table of contents and funny illustrations.

Comments: This is a collection of riddles, jokes, and knock-knock jokes, especially for kids.

These jokes would work so well with students throughout the day to foster humor, homophones, and figurative language.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Just Try It!

by  Phil Rosenthal(Author), Lily Rosenthal(Author), and Luke Flowers(Illustration) 

Summary: Lil and her father are at a food festival with many different types of foods. Her father tries coaxing his daughter to try the foods, but she stubbornly refuses. He offers her a pretzel with mustard, to which she reacts with an angry scream and throws her arms in the air, causing the mustard to go on his shirt. She apologizes while her father washes off the stain.

While waiting, Lil takes a bite. Will she like this or any of the other food?

Comments: This was one patient father.
“Try it; you’ll like it” is a common request that many kids and parents will relate to in this humorous picture book.

The illustrations were rendered digitally.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Daddy, Tell Me a Story 

by Kathleen Long Bostrom (Author), Ela Smietanka (Artist)

Summary: Sophie asks her father for a bedtime story–one he makes up instead of from a book. He begins to tell her one, but his daughter keeps requesting changes. The story becomes more and more imaginative with many creatures.

Comments: This is a cute bedtime story with a bit of humor and a lot of imagination.

Rating: 3.5/5 📗📗📗1/2

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.

Forever and Always 

by Brittany J. Thurman (Author), Shamar Knight-Justice (Illustrator)

Brief summary: Olivia looks forward to seeing her father come home from work and greet her with a hug. They create dinner with Mom and have a nice evening together.

Olivia hugs her father in the morning before he leaves for work, worrying about his dangerous job as an emergency medical technician. While waiting, she makes him a bracelet to wear.

Will her father return?

Comments: The illustrations are created using mixed-media elements and Procreate.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

Continue reading for more details and buying options on this book’s Amazon page.