Oh, yes! Papa Bear in the Berenstain Bears drives me crazy!! (Sometimes he's awesome, like in "The Berenstain Bears' New Baby," and sometimes he's absolutely awful - worse than a spoiled child - and the point of the book seems to be that Mama Bear has to take charge and treat Papa like a toddler.)
Pa in the Little House series is my model of fatherly awesomeness. Love those books.
I also love the Little Britches series, though not as much as the Little House series. Have you read the whole Little Britches series? Very interesting. I found especially interesting the section in one of the later books where he works in the early film industry down in Tucson. Yikes. :)
I love the "Cheaper By the Dozen" duo, and find it to be a fascinating (unintentional) commentary of the social upheaval of the time - especially the second book. We started to watch the movie, but didn't finish it. (We love period film from the Golden Age of film, but that one we just couldn't make work. We need to try again - especially since it has Myrna Loy!!) There were some other books written by that family - I got hold of one of them once, and it too was very interesting.
I can't think of any great books that showcase fathers - though I know there are many - but if I do, I'll return to note them down! :)
Looking forward to putting your list of books on my library check-out list! :)
Another book called Owl Moon is a sweet look at a little girls nighttime adventures with her dad to spot owls in the woods. I think the author is Jane Yolen
I will have to look for My Friend Mac. I haven't heard of that one before! Owl Moon is in the lead-up to the list--one of my favorite picture books, too.
My Friend Mac is a favorite book from childhood about a dad and mom and their little son, Baptiste who live in the woods of Quebec. It’s mainly about little Baptiste and his pet Moose, Mac but the dad is instrumental in helping little Baptiste realize some important things. I don’t know if this delightful book is findable anymore.
You really covered them all. I scrolled through my booklist but didn't notice any others about fathers except One Morning in Maine, which features a caring father, but is really a story about growing up.
Pretty sad there are so few, although I did note a lot of the books have positive representations of men or boys, just not specifically fathers.
The orphan story thing drives Irene crazy. She doesn't like dead parents. It worries her. "Why can't they be on a trip or something?" Because they'd find a way to protect the kids, and then there would be no adventure!
The problem with good fathers is that if the good and sensible reaction (by either parent) to learning about what is happening to the child is take over, the story ends, unless the parents are either not good or not sensible.
Good, sensible parents and adventures (particularly low-key adventures) are feasible, but require great care in handling.
I think this is why so many of the good books with good parents are pioneer stories. The adventures are so pervasive (and the parents are so incredibly busy, even while being constantly present) that the kids can’t help but fall into something interesting enough to make a plot.
Hush Little Bunny by David Ezra Stein is one of my favorite books to gift at baby showers. It’s written to the tune of Hush Little Baby and is all about a papa taking care of his little bunny as he discovers the world. It’s from 2019 but I think it has potential to be a classic.
Oh, yes! Papa Bear in the Berenstain Bears drives me crazy!! (Sometimes he's awesome, like in "The Berenstain Bears' New Baby," and sometimes he's absolutely awful - worse than a spoiled child - and the point of the book seems to be that Mama Bear has to take charge and treat Papa like a toddler.)
Pa in the Little House series is my model of fatherly awesomeness. Love those books.
I also love the Little Britches series, though not as much as the Little House series. Have you read the whole Little Britches series? Very interesting. I found especially interesting the section in one of the later books where he works in the early film industry down in Tucson. Yikes. :)
I love the "Cheaper By the Dozen" duo, and find it to be a fascinating (unintentional) commentary of the social upheaval of the time - especially the second book. We started to watch the movie, but didn't finish it. (We love period film from the Golden Age of film, but that one we just couldn't make work. We need to try again - especially since it has Myrna Loy!!) There were some other books written by that family - I got hold of one of them once, and it too was very interesting.
I can't think of any great books that showcase fathers - though I know there are many - but if I do, I'll return to note them down! :)
Looking forward to putting your list of books on my library check-out list! :)
I haven’t finished the Little Britches series yet!
Another book called Owl Moon is a sweet look at a little girls nighttime adventures with her dad to spot owls in the woods. I think the author is Jane Yolen
I will have to look for My Friend Mac. I haven't heard of that one before! Owl Moon is in the lead-up to the list--one of my favorite picture books, too.
My Friend Mac: The Story of Little Baptiste and the Moose
by https://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/May-McNeer?aid=3308449
I see that Alibris (used books online) has it. Try to get the hardcover
My Friend Mac is a favorite book from childhood about a dad and mom and their little son, Baptiste who live in the woods of Quebec. It’s mainly about little Baptiste and his pet Moose, Mac but the dad is instrumental in helping little Baptiste realize some important things. I don’t know if this delightful book is findable anymore.
You really covered them all. I scrolled through my booklist but didn't notice any others about fathers except One Morning in Maine, which features a caring father, but is really a story about growing up.
Pretty sad there are so few, although I did note a lot of the books have positive representations of men or boys, just not specifically fathers.
Oh yes, One Morning in Maine. Of course orphan stories will far outstrip any books that celebrate good parents. 😂
The orphan story thing drives Irene crazy. She doesn't like dead parents. It worries her. "Why can't they be on a trip or something?" Because they'd find a way to protect the kids, and then there would be no adventure!
Great list; love each one! You could add Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang; an eccentric but exciting dad who has fun with his wife and children.
I forgot about this one! It's been so long since I read it and I don't currently own it (and therefore don't have it on my shelves to remind me).
The problem with good fathers is that if the good and sensible reaction (by either parent) to learning about what is happening to the child is take over, the story ends, unless the parents are either not good or not sensible.
Good, sensible parents and adventures (particularly low-key adventures) are feasible, but require great care in handling.
I think this is why so many of the good books with good parents are pioneer stories. The adventures are so pervasive (and the parents are so incredibly busy, even while being constantly present) that the kids can’t help but fall into something interesting enough to make a plot.
Hush Little Bunny by David Ezra Stein is one of my favorite books to gift at baby showers. It’s written to the tune of Hush Little Baby and is all about a papa taking care of his little bunny as he discovers the world. It’s from 2019 but I think it has potential to be a classic.
I haven’t read this one before! Checking my library catalogue now….