Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Daddy Book

The Daddy Book
Robert Stewart ~ pictures by Don Madden
McGraw-Hill, 1972


I don't give my husband enough credit on this blog. While it was I who innocently began this hobby four years back, he has wholeheartedly supported it, both emotionally and financially. He's clocked hundreds of hours reading aloud and reaped the benefits of a child with a huge vocabulary. He's shelled out hundreds of dollars to help me fund this obsession whenever my mad money account has run dry. It's he who gets angry when we listen to Harry Potter number seven on audio tape without him during the day, and it's he who races to tuck the boy in so he can finish off reading aloud the final chapters of Harry Potter number one all snug and cozy in bed.Daddies are the often unsung heroes of children's literature. The read-aloud kings who aren't afraid of making silly voices. Who never seem to lose patience with the phrase "just one more chapter." Many a night I've had to go in and intervene as the clock ticks by 8, 8:30 and into 9, and I still hear the words of JK Rowling echoing down the hall. The dads who tote stacks and stacks of picture books into restaurants and read story after story as their dinners sits cold and uneaten. It's for my husband and daddies like him and daddies all over the world that this little gem was written and illustrated. A testament to the never-dying love and devotion that emminates from the man who helped create you.

Daddy often does what Mommy does. He changes diapers. Daddy cooks dinner and washes dishes. Does your Daddy give you a bath? Put your pajamas on? Put you to bed? Sometimes daddies get angry. Does your Daddy ever tell you to eat all your food? Wash your hands? Stay in your bed? Pick up your toys? But all daddies love their little boys and girls. No matter what.

Covering all things Daddy, from what they look like to what they wear to what they do for a living to what they love to do (though, I can't imagine there are a ton of daddy pipe smokers out there nowadays). The colors here are so vibrant and the pages so alive with activity. I never get sick of looking at this book or reading it, though, whenever the boy strolls over with it tucked under his arm, his smile spreading out ear to ear, he's usually not headed in my direction. Thanks to all you daddies out there who read to your children... and, oh yeah, all that other stuff you do...

Also by:
Is There Life in Outer Space?
One Kitten for Kim
Oxygen Keeps you Alive

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11 comments:

  1. Thank you for this post. As a Daddy, it made me smile a lot. I've never seen this Don Madden illustrated book (just like the outer space one), and it, of course, is now on my list of "to find" books.

    Do you know how hard it is to refuse the "just one more chapter" plea when you want to make sure your children have a love for reading... and finish the book yourself? Ha ha.

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  2. the pictures really don't do the book justice... it is super fun! i was inspired to write about this because I've always passed on the Wartville Wizard as something about the cover turned me off. but I found a first edition hardcover in perfect condition for 49 cents, broke down and opened it and fell in love.

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  3. The Apple and the Egg recently posted two other Don Madden-illustrated gems, Gravity is a Mystery (http://www.apple-egg.co.uk/journal/gravity-is-a-mystery-don-madden.html) and A Drop of Blood (http://www.apple-egg.co.uk/journal/a-drop-of-blood-don-madden.html)if you're interested. I hadn't seen any of his art before and instantly fell in love. His work on The Daddy Book, though, is the best I've yet seen, thank you so much for posting it!

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  4. I just love A and the E... thanks for posting the link for readers...

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  5. another from the apple and the egg archives.. lemonade serenade

    http://www.apple-egg.co.uk/journal/2009/10/15/lemonade-serenade-don-madden.html

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  6. What a great post! I've got to add this to my want/need list as my son also has a great Daddy in the house. My son loves Are There Aliens in Outer Space...so I'm sure this will be a winner with him as well.

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  7. i love this post and yes i take my husband for granted all the time. i need a copy of this book as a gentle reminder of how great my boys daddy is!

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  8. A very sweet post, thank you for sharing =)

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  9. Adorable looking book. Love the page with the different ties. May have to seek and find for Father's Day. Thanks for sharing, Dee

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  10. What a lovely book! Thanks for sharing it and for the sweet and intimate post about your loving husband.

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  11. I loved this book as a child! My daddy read this to my sister and I every night before bed. I had no idea how old it was though. I think it might have belonged to my father when he was younger.

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