What makes my Dad happy by Tania Cox and Lorette Broekstra

cover image

Allen and Unwin, 2012. ISBN 978 1 74237 838 1.
Recommended. Just in time for Father's Day comes this wonderful celebration of Dads and the things the little people in their lives share with them that make them happy.
According to this book, Dads like surprises, towers, flowers, talking on the phone, spinning around in circles, helping with the cooking, dancing and singing, building cubbies, having notes, pushing kids on swings, and most of all, big BIG hugs.
I liked that this book celebrated ALL types of Dads - young Dads, old Dads, Dads in wheelchairs, Dads with glasses - Dads of all kinds. It's really rare to find a picture book which caters to such a wide range of different types of people without seeming tokenistic.
This would be the perfect book to read to the twos and threes, and for fathers and children to share together. The illustrations are colourful and friendly, but with a lot of white space on the page, so that the pages are not visually overwhelming.
The rhyme and rhythm of the story is gentle and predictable, and it is an enjoyable book to read aloud.  A recommended addition to any inclusive library.
Freya Lucas