My Dad and Me by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Susan Mitchell (Illustrator)
Ages: 4-8
Cautions: None
Little Simon, 2009

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Sometimes the simplest story lines have the most impact. While the words are sweet and sentimental, the book’s tri-fold construction adds a unique flair to the book, literally enabling the reader unfold the story for each page.

When Papa Comes Home Tonight by Eileen Spinelli
David McPhail (Illustrator)
Simon & Schuster, 2009
Ages 4-8
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This is a sweet rhyming verse about waiting for Papa to walk through the front door and spend some special time with his child.

Product Description
When Papa comes home tonight, dear child,
(I promise - not too late)
you’ll hear me whistling up the road.
You’ll meet me at the gate.

It can be hard waiting for Papa to come home, but it’ll be worth it because you’ll both have so much fun when he does! From singing songs and making dinner to playing all the way until bedtime, just hanging with Papa is one of the most joyous ways to end the day.

Eileen Spinelli’s highly anticipated follow-up to the bestselling When Mama Comes Home Tonight, complete with gorgeous illustrations from David McPhail, is a soothing celebrtion of simple moments shared between parent and child.

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Things To Do With Dad: Lots Of Fun For Everyone by Scholastic
Scholastic 2009
Ages: 9-12
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
I think the title limits this book a little, because this little blue book is chock full of great ideas to keep kids entertained on a rainy day or any day. With a mix of ideas for indoor or outdoor play, this book is a great resource for simple fun.

Product Description
This guide is packed with indoor and outdoor activities that kids and dads can enjoy together. You’ll learn how to:

Turn your kitchen in Dad’s diner.

Build a snow fort together.

Hold a scavenger hunt.

Go on a fishing expedition… and much more!

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Amazing Tales for Making Men Out of Boys by Neil Oliver
HarperCollins, April  2009
Ages 18+
Cautions: Slightly scary bits, but age range is listed as 18 + 

Kiwi Magazine Book Review:
This book started making me crave some beef jerky. I am old enough (that’s enough detail for you) to have had a grandfather and father who served in WWI and WWII respectively, and their stories of camraderie, bravery and patriotism used to mesmerize me. I can even remember my four older brothers asking to hear the stories again and again, committing them to memory and visualizing all of the details. In a way, this book brings the lore back to the masses, not to glorify war, but to capture the spirit of bravery and bonding with a bit of bravado.

Publisher’s Description:
Tales of brave and selfless deeds used to be part of every boy’s education. We grew up sharing stories with our fathers, uncles and grandfathers of how great men had lived their lives, met their challenges, reached their goals and faced their deaths. Becoming a man was about comradeship and standing by your friends whatever the circumstances. And it meant that sometimes it was more important to die a hero than live a coward’s life.

Amazing Tales for Making Men Out of Boys is packed with classic stories of courage and heroism from around the world, including: D-Day and Omaha Beach; the Charge of the Light Brigade; the Battle of Dien Bien Phu; the Siege of the Alamo; the Moonwalkers and Apollo 13; the Flight of the Nez Perces; Josiah Harlan and the Trouble with Afghanistan; the Demons of Camerone; the Battle of Isandlwana; the Yangtze Incident; the Battle of Trafalgar; Shackleton’s Boat Journey; Scott of the Antarctic; Thermopylae; the Revolutionary War Naval Battle of John Paul Jones and the Bonhomme Richard.

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I Call My Grandpa Papa (by Ashley Wolff
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Tricycle Press - September 2009
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Grandpops around the world are special people who go by special names. This book is a tribute to those special men who occupy a very special place in all of our hearts.

Product Description
My Babu runs the library.
He can check out any book,
and when he gets the new ones,
he lets me have first look.
From Nonna to MeMaw, Pops to Ojii-San, the moniker a child bestows upon a grandparent is as unique as the relationship that will develop between them.

With her musical text and colorful collage artwork, Ashley Wolff celebrates grandparent names–and all the wonderful ways grandchildren play with their loved ones.

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Daddy, Papa, and Me (Board book) by Lesléa Newman
Carol Thompson (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Board book: 20 pages
Tricycle Press - May 5, 2009)
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This sweet little board book takes a look at a family which has two dads and the happy style of play and love that each father has. The illustrations are simple and perfectly accompany the text.

Product Description
Daddy helps me paint the sky.
Papa helps me bake a pie.
Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its daddies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there’s no limit to what a loving family can do together.

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