Any book about family these days is careful to acknowledge all the different shapes and sizes that makes a family today. The standard is no longer Mum, Dad, and two kids so this book reflects the infinite variety that is the modern family. We have Blue-Green crayon who loves both her Dads (one is green, the other is blue); Beige crayon loves his Mum because she’s his only parent, and Orange and Yellow crayons both love their Grandpa.
Daywalt wittily shows the many and varied ways Dads interact with their children, highlighting their strengths and revealing the occasional weakness without being preachy or sentimental. Jeffers defly augments the minimal text while demonstrating his skill with colour and confident use of white space. He manages to give each and every ordinary crayon expression and personality. An excellent choice for Father’s Day.
Here is a paean in praise of a Dad who does everything as told by his adoring daughter. This is firmly focussed on father and daughter as no other family members appear anywhere. Dad pulls up the sun every morning, makes breakfast, gets her dressed, takes her to school, While she is there he goes around saving lives. In the evening he tames the monsters under the bed and tucks her up while reading her a story.
The illustrations have all of Joyner’s zany inventiveness and humour successfully extending the basic rhyming text. For Father’s Day some exaggerated praise in not out of place and this book fits that bill perfectly.
Another rhyming text of praise about the many wonderful things a dad does.
‘ I love all the moments that I have with you and I can count on you in all I do’.
‘You help with sad, scary or serious things, and any problems that life brings’.
Moon is another artist who takes care to represent every type and variety of Dad, acknowledging that Australia is very much a multicultural society. She uses up all the page in each expressive colourful scene showing joyful children having a great time with their Dad in many different ways.
Most children will recognize their own Dad here somewhere and also learn about the many different types of fathers there are and the many different ways they interact with their children.
Happy Father’s Day from the Crayons by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
My Dad Makes the World Go Around and Around by Maddy Mara & Andrew Joyner
Every Day is Special With Dad by Sarah Ayoub & Kate Moon
