Dads Read Too

JER: “ Penguin Problems ” by author Jory John and illustrator Lane Smith feels relevant for our times, i.e. a pandemic, collapsed economy, and political/social polarization.  It is easy for my mind to gravitate to despair and pinpointing all the reasons to be pessimistic about life right now.  But there are always reasons to be grateful.  As the walrus says, “I wouldn’t trade my life for any other”. • A gift from my Mother

JER: “Duck! Rabbit!” by Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld masterfully displays the connection between perspective and cognitive bias.  The human brain is a magical meaning-making machine.  As explained by the books “The Righteous Mind” and “Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)” , the human brain is programmed to react based on emotions and justify those actions to convince ourselves that we have made the right decisions.   I want to believe that “free will” exists, and that I am in control of my decisions, but there is growing research that helps demonstrate that humans can see, think, and feel that mutually exclusive realities exist based on their perspectives.  The 2020 Presidential Election is an example.  Some people, government officials included, claim that there was rampant, significant voter fraud that “stole” the election.  Other people, government officials included, claim that the election was the “most secure in history” . This event s...

JER: “ When I Was A Girl . . . I Dreamed ” by authors Margaret Baker & Justin Matott and illustrator Mark Ludy is a refreshing “girl book”. “Girl books” are usually plagued with agendas, all sorts of agendas: “girls are supposed to like pink and wait for men to rescue them”, “girls are meant to be fierce and take control”, “girls need to ride ponies”, "girls need to skateboard”, etcetera.  Historically, Princess Stories have created unhealthy stereotypes, and many modern books try to create a counter narrative, which is helpful, but it would be nice to get to a place where a story or book could include “girls” without having to address the fact that the character is a girl.  This is a major reason why I like @hildatheseries - the fact that Hilda is a girl doesn’t drive the story.   What I like about this book, is that it is agnostic to any particular “dream” or role.  You can be a girl, and dream of riding ponies, being a teacher, be a ballerina, be an artist, be...

JER: “ Ada Twist, SCIENTIST ” by author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts is a really great introduction into the Scientific Method, and the important part questioning plays in advancing understanding.  Parenting is really hard, I often want to resort to arguments from authority to “make” my children do I what I want/need, but I have also seen how much my children’s development improves when I allow their curiosity to guide them and when I have patience for the messes, or “creative explosions”, that result.

JER: “ My Hair Is A Garden ” by author/illustrator Cozbi A. Cabrera starts with a specific problem - “Mack’s hair is always a mess” everyone, even Mack, seemed to accept it as a fact.  What I love about this book is that it expertly weaves in universal themes from one specific problem:  • Relying on Community: “there was something special about Miss Tillie . . . You could say her house had a glory. . . . She knew I was at her house for a reason. . . . Miss Tillie called my mama, who said I could stay there a while.”  • Growth takes time: “I thought about how that little tree had survived and all the water Miss Tillie gave it every day, even though it looked like a broken branch.  I wondered if I would have given up and thrown it away.”  • Diversity is beautiful:  A Japanese maple isn’t prettier than succulents, “they’re both beautiful even though they’re so different.”; and  • I especially love the last few pages: “My hair is a garden.  And like e...

JER: “ Hilda Series : Hilda and the Troll; Hilda and the Midnight Giant; and Hilda and the Bird Parade” by Luke Pearson plays with Nordic fantasy and the unexpected.  Is that a tree or “The Wood Man” who is “aware of too much in my own house to ever truly be comfortable in it” so he spends lots of time in Hilda’s house.  Is that a rock or a Troll?  Is that a mountain or a Giant who has been waiting for her friend?  Most importantly, I love these three books (and look forward to getting the rest in the series) since they model adventure (without focusing on the fact that Hilda is a girl), they model empathy (you never know if that common looking crow could be a THUNDERBIRD), and they model navigating real life situations: making mistakes, moving to new places, relying on the kindness of others, learning who are your real friends, etcetera.  Many thanks to my friend @mshenriksen for introducing to this series.

JER: “ Something Happened In Our Town ” by authors Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard and illustrator Jennifer Zivoin is a great book to discuss Race, Police Shootings, and Empathy.  It helps explain the social construct of Race: “Some Black people have dark brown skin, and some have light brown skin . . . ‘Black’ usually means African American.  Most of their ancestors were brought here from Africa as slaves . . . White people cake here from places in Europe, or Russia or other countries.  We are White, even though our skin is light tan.” It discusses systematic racism, and how it can be likened to a pattern on a blanket, “an unfair pattern”. It discusses the perspectives from multiple families, multiple backgrounds, and shifts to teaching empathy for other people who might be excluded, like Omad who moved “from a country far away” and was still “learning English”.  The three Co-Authors are Psychologists with decades of experience in children’s behav...