What my Daddy loves by Raissa Figueroa

An array of different dads and their children are shown in this story: playing, talking, having fun, eating and drinking, studying. Each page reflects the love felt between the two as they wake in the morning, eat breakfast together, then go through the day at the playground, at the supermarket, walking though a field, playing in the back yard, mending the car. Each image shows the love felt between the two, offering different dads and their children. One dad is in a wheelchair, one is hearing impaired, there are different body shapes and ages, while the children depicted are just as diverse. I loved looking at the different hairstyles of the young and old. The bold illustrations will attract the eyes of the readers as they scan each page, working out what the child and their father is doing, how they are interacting and what it shows about their relationship. Some pages are standouts; I love the double page of Dad cooking eggs, his daughter sitting on the kitchen bench, and the double page showing them in the supermarket, doing what all of us love to do, the indistinct shelves giving the impression of speed, and I love the image of the pair on the roof watching the night sky. 

A delightful story of the link between fathers and their offspring, the book shows a group of diverse fathers interacting with their children, embracing the love that exists between them all, modelling a loving and strong relationship.

Themes: Fathers, Children, Love, Relationships, Family.

Fran Knight