Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful Dads out there! In honour of Father’s Day, we are digging up some of our favorite books from the preschooler years (including one about Dads). This was a difficult one to sort through as we have so many books targeting this age group. But, at the end of the day, the kids agreed that these were their favorites.
10. The Backyardian’s Race to the Tower of PowerThe Backyardigans adapted by Catherine Lukas & illustrated by Dave Aikins (2006, Simon & Schuster, 24 pages)
Opening Lines:
Pablo and Tyrone were playing in the backyard.
“Wa-ha-haa! We’re supervillains!” said Pablo.
“I’m Yucky Man. I have the power to make things yucky!”
What We Love About It: The truth is that we love the Backyardigans. It was one of our favorite TV shows, so it seemed only natural that it would become one of our favorite books. In all of the Backyardigans stories, the characters (who are all animals) play together in their backyards, using their imagination to create colourful characters and fun adventures. In the Race to the Tower of Power, two of the characters (Pablo and Tyrone) are the supervillains Yucky Man and Dr. Shrinky while two other characters (Austin and Uniqua) are the superheroes Captain Hammer and Weather Woman. I got to use my Schwarzenegger voice “Tow-ah of Pow-ah”. Need I say more?
9. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (1960, Random House Books for Young Readers, 72 pages)
Opening Lines:
That Sam-I-am!
That Sam-I-am!
I do not like
that Sam-I-am!
What We Love About It:
Truly, we could have included any number of Dr. Seuss books (e.g., Fox in Sox, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, etc.). In fact, for this list the kids chose more than one to include. They agreed to narrow it down to one and they both agreed that this was their favorite. Let’s face it,Green Eggs and Ham is a classic. I kind of feel like I’m Sam-I-Am on most days. “Mom, I don’t like steak.” “Just try it. One bite.” The difference is that in this book, he eats it and discovers he likes it. Why does that not work in real life?
8. Yay, You! by Sandra Boynton (2001, Little Simon, 32 pages)
Opening Lines:
Yah, you!
You did it!
You’re done!
You made it!
You’re through!
What We Love About It:
As with Dr. Seuss, the kids chose multiple Sandra Boynton books to include in this list (e.g., Snuggle Puppy, Barnyard Dance, Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs). Encouraged to chose one, the kids agreed on Yay, You! This one has a special place in my heart because my good friend Michelle had painted a canvas with images from this book as a gift to my firstborn. We just love it! We love the message of this book about being who you are and loving yourself for who you are and the illustrations are brilliant. This one will get passed down to my grandkids too.
7. Little Quack’s Bedtime by Lauren Thompson & illustrated by Derek Anderson (2006, Scholastic, 32 pages)
Opening Lines:
Mama Duck had five little ducklings,
Widdle, Waddle,
Piddle, Puddle,
and Little Quack
What We Love About It:
A story about a cute, fluffy, yellow little duck (and super-cute little sibling ducklings)…how can you go wrong here? The illustrations are beautiful and the story is so sweet. As a read-aloud book, the story includes dialogue between the tender Mama Duck and the frightened little duckling as well as some sounds that fill the night air. The kids both loved this book because it spoke directly to some of the nighttime fears that they experienced themselves. Very sweet book.
6. The Little Snowflake by Steve Metzger & illustrated by Monica Wellington (2003, Scholastic, 32 pages)
Opening Lines:
It was a cold winter’s day.
Up in the sky, the Little Snowflake
was inside a big, gray cloud.
What We Love About It:
I’ll admit it…I’m a little surprised that this book was included, much less that it was ranked so high. Something about this story really resonated with the kids. They were both adamant about including it. I think they can identify with the Little Snowflake who so desperatly had a dream to be part of a snowman and was getting increasingly frustrated and sad that he was being overlooked. But of course, there is the happy ending which brings the whole book together. This book has some really great illustrations and the story elicits a range of emotions. Ok, I guess it’s a good book!
5. The Napping House by Audrey Wood (1984, Red Wagon Books, Harcourt Inc., 32 pages)
Opening Lines:
There is a house,
a napping house,
where everyone is sleeping.
What We Love About It:
I was a bit surprised that The Napping House was chosen over Silly Sally (both by Audrey Wood), but I think I understand why. This book involves repeating text which adds on layers. So, for example, the granny is on the bottom, then the child comes, then the dog, then the cat, and so on. They then wake up in reverse order. My kids both loved being able to recite what would come next – great for honing their memory skills.
4. I Love My Daddy Because… by Laurel Porter Gaylord & illustrated by Ashley Wolff (1991, Dutton’s Children’s Books, 20 pages)
Opening Lines:
I love my daddy because
he plays with me.
He keeps me safe and warm.
He brings me dinner.
What We Love About It:
There are thousands of books that focus on mother-child relationships, but it seems a bit more difficult to find ones that focus on fathers. This is such a sweet book that illustrates all the wonderful things about dads using animals. Ironically, with some exceptions of course, Dads in the animal kingdom are most likely to either abandon their young, eat them, or simply kill them. Hmmm….
3. Farmer Brown Goes Round and Round by Teri Sloat & illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott (1999, Scholastic, 32 pages)
Opening Lines:
“My chores are done,”
said Farmer Brown.
The air was filled with
happy sounds –
What We Love About It:
We all agree that this is one of our favorites. In this original and unique story by Teri Sloat, the animal voices get all mixed up when a twister rolls through a farm yard. The illustrations are great, the story is fantastic, and we get to make all kinds of crazy animal sounds. This is a laugh-out-loud book. Simply fabulous!
2. Teeny Weeny Tadpole by Sheridan Cain & illustrated by Jack Tickle (2006, Scholastic, 32 pages)
Opening Lines:
The Teeny Weeny Tadpole
swam in and out of the lily pads.
Splish! Splash!
What We Love About It:
I thought it was a fluke that I read this book over and over to my daughter when she was little, but no, my son also fell in love with this book. I’d like to think it’s because I do fantastic animal voices, but I concede that the story and illustrations are simply brilliant. All kids will identify with the little tadpole who just wants to do things as well as his parents and the other animals around him until one day he achieves his goal. Just a solid, fantastic little book.
1. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch & illustrated by Sheila McGraw (1995, Firefly Books, 32 pages)
Opening Lines:
A mother held her new baby and
very slowly rocked him back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
And while she held him, she sang:
“I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.”
What We Love About It:
We LOVE Robert Munsch and own many of his books and have also borrowed them from the library. Robert Munsch (ahem…a fellow Canadian) is, in our opinion, one of the best children’s books authors of our time. He just GETS kids. His books are largely based on real children who have inspired him in some way. All his stories are quirky and completely entertaining. Again, we had to choose one and this is the one the kids chose. Love You Forever is classic Munsch. While most of his stories are straight-up hilarious, this one also includes the tenderness the mother demonstrates toward her child. I have always made up a song to go with the lyrics and I literally get choked up singing it every time. This one, or any other Robert Munsch book – - trust me, you can’t go wrong.
So, there you have our list. Please let us know what you think of these choices, and please feel free to share some of your favorites. Happy Father’s Day! 
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