Dads Read Too

JER: “ Finn Throws A Fit ” by author David Elliott and illustrator Timothy Basil Ering is Ejler’s latest book obsession.  She has asked to read it every night we’ve had it from the library. If you have spent an extended period of time with any toddler, this book will be very relatable.  When a toddler throws a “fit”, it can feel like every natural disaster known in this world are all descending from the tightly drawn face and flailing limbs of an angry little body.  But the “fits” pass just as mysteriously as they arose, and life moves on.

JER: “ Mr. Tiger Goes Wild ” by Peter Brown, to me, is all about groupthink and social conventions.  Humans are social creatures, and I can relate to the intense biological drive to “fit in” and be part of a large or popular social group, but I have also found tremendous freedom by questioning social norms and checking in with myself to see what I really want, think, or feel.  Often when I have I vocalized a different viewpoint, I have found others have chimed in and agreed with me.  Mr. Tiger realized he needed to get “wild” sometimes, but he still needed his city, friends, and community. “There is a time and place for everything - even going wild”

JER: “ Sam & Dave Dig A Hole ” by author Mac Barnett and illustrator Jon Klassen (one of my favorite artists/authors BTW) is all about expectations and the innate randomness of life. “Sam and Dave are digging a hole and they will not stop until they find something spectacular” (inside front cover). The reader watches in frustration as Sam & Dave narrowly miss digging up larger and larger pink gems.  Are the gems supposed to be the “something spectacular”? Ultimately, “something spectacular” does happen, but not what I expected.  Sam & Dave seem to be perfectly pleased with the result, and they are happy to head inside for “chocolate milk and animal cookies” to reminisce over their “spectacular”. If there were a narrator or reader of our life, would they look on in frustration as we missed finding increasingly large metaphorical “gems”? Are we missing out on “something spectacular” just out of sight or around the corner?  Are we better off findin...

JER: “ I Will Be Fierce ” by author Bea Birdsong and illustrator Nidhi Chanani is best read with a fist pump each time the word “FIERCE” shows up.  I like how it models ways to be assertive in common social situations.  I hope it gives my daughters confidence to resist peer pressure to forge their own paths.

JER: my good friend since 7th grade - @mshenriksen suggested this book: “ Hilda and the Troll ” by Luke Pearson.  It has unexplained creatures, adventure, rocks that look like Trolls, actual Trolls, and just the right amount of vulgarity.  Hilda enjoys sleeping in a tent outdoors in the rain since it makes her “coziness canvas thin”, and also learns that placing bells on the noses of Trolls is now considered a “barbaric practice”. My friend Mike summed it up best, “it is an interesting mystical adventure story, and the hero just happens to be a girl.” It isn’t pushing that storyline or detail, it just is.  I found it really refreshing. (NOTE: Ejler is an aspiring graffiti artist, and she has unfortunately left her mark all over this cover.)

JER: “Knuffle Bunny”  by Mo Willems perfectly captures the challenges of parenting a toddler.  Everything seems to be going great, and then your toddler will turn to you and say: “AGGLE FLAGGLE KLABBLE!!!!”. They know full well what they want and what is wrong, but adults and toddlers don’t have a common language between them to coherently lodge complaints.  Parents are left scrambling to figure out the latest cryptic message. “Hmmmm, ‘Aggle’, could that mean she is hungry?  Oh no, I didn’t pack snacks!!?!? I knew I should have put that emergency beef stick in my pocket before we left.  But then again, ‘Flaggle’, does she think all those ‘snacks’ have gone to growing my tummy?!??”. Eventually, I am usually able to decipher the clues and fix the problem, but not until after many tears are shed.  That’s why this book hits close to home for me.

JER:  “The Good Egg”  by Jory John and Pete Oswald is a follow-up to their previous book:  “The Bad Seed” .  When I realized they had made a "sequel", I couldn't help getting a bit nervous.  I loved "The Bad Seed" so much, I didn't want a lackluster follow-up to taint my high opinion of the original book.  But thankfully, I wasn't disappointed, and they complement each other well. What I love about both of these books is that the authors play around with the concept of being “GOOD” or “BAD”. When I started telling Mallory about “The Bad Seed”, she became concerned that she might not agree with what the book judged to be “BAD”. After all, history is full examples of society perpetuating viewpoints, creating laws, and punishing people for ideas, theories, or activities they thought were “BAD”, only to have society later decide those ideas, theories, or activities aren't BAD, and in some cases public opinion completely reverses and a majority of peo...

A:   Mingo the Flamingo    by Pete Oswald and Justin K Thompson. I am so happy we stumbled upon this one at the library! It is such a great story of separation and reunification, but more importantly about unexpected friends. I am sure we can all relate to finding ourselves among strangers and the anxiety that goes along with that. We forget that kids feel this way, A LOT! Here is a book that teaches them getting to know people (who can become new friends) is very rewarding! And I love the page that teaches that practice doesn’t make us perfect, it makes us stronger for sure, but never perfect! Sometimes we need that extra help to reach our goals!! Lots of   for Mingo!! (From two very accomplished authors, thank you guys!) I really hope Mingo has some more adventures!  ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Primary Theme: Unexpected friendships Secondary Themes: Separation and reunion, practice makes you stronger but not perfect, what friends are for ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Summary: fro...