With Father’s Day approaching I gathered up a list of all my favorite picture books to celebrate fathers- both at Father’s Day and year round!
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Hammer and Nails by Josh Bledstone
I love the title and concept of this cute book! When a little girl’s play date gets canceled her dad decides to combine their to-do lists. They both step out of their comfort zones to spend the day doing things the other person wants to do.
It’s Great Being a Dad by Dan Bar-el
This super creative and fun book is a great story of imagination and a father who is happy to play along. There are so many fun details in the illustrations and story that it begs to be reread many times- my son wanted to do just that!
Daddies Do by Lezlie Evans
This book is a celebration of all the great things dads do with a nicely flowing, rhyming text and cute illustrations of various animals with their dads.
Dad By My Side by Soosh
This book is made up of adorable and touching illustrations of a little girl and her dad. The father’s huge appearance conveys the way the little girl sees him and the contrast of his imposing physical appearance and tender behavior is so sweet.
Made for Me by Zack Bush
This one also has a huge dad with a small baby. It is told from the perspective of a father talking to his baby and sharing his love and the message that his baby is perfect for him.
The Better Tree Fort by Jessica Scott Kerrin
This book has such a sweet message, but it’s not over preachy or in your face about it. A father and son build a tree fort together, and although it’s far from being everything the boy dreamed of, it’s something they accomplished together and get to enjoy together. But how is the boy going to feel when a fancy tree fort gets built by a construction crew next door? I love how you can clearly tell that the father in the book is lost and overwhelmed when it comes to building, but he’s willing to do it because he loves his son. The last line of the book totally chokes me up.
Papasaurus by Stephan Lomp
My kids loved this one and wanted to reread it many times. It’s a similar layout to “Are You My Mother?” as a baby dinosaur is playing hide-n-seek with his dad and when he can’t find him he keeps asking other dinosaurs and they compare the traits of the dinosaurs to see if it’s his dad.
Mitchell’s License by Hallie Durand
A boy sturggles going to bed until his dad starts pretending to be a car for him to drive to bed. There are lots of fun details in the illustrations and text that car lovers will especially appreciate.
The Princess and the Peas by Caryl Hart
This story contains one devoted dad who is determined to help his daughter love peas. His love and tenderness for his daughter are very evident.
My Dad Thinks He’s Funny by Katrina Germein
This one is full of ‘lame Dad jokes’ that we all love to roll our eyes at. You’ll probably recognize several of them!
How to Surprise a Dad by Jean Reagan and How to Babysit a Grandpa by Jean Reagan
This one is good for any time of year or at Father’s Day as it mentions Father’s Day briefly, but is mostly about surprising dads at any time. Also check out the super cute How to Babysit a Grandpa! I’ve used it as a Father’s Day gift for my father-in-law and as a Christmas present for my parents with this books and the companion How to Babysit a Grandma.
Father’s Day Books
Froggy’s Day with Daddy by Jonathon London
This book provides a fun father story with a familiar character. Froggy’s plans for Father’s Day don’t go exactly as planned but they get some quality time together.
The Night Before Father’s Day by Natasha Wing
In the style of the poem “The Night Before Christmas” a family prepares a Father’s Day surprise by organizing and cleaning the garage and cleaning the car.
Father’s Day by Anne Rockwell
A classroom of students are working on a Father’s Day project and they share the diverse things they love about their dads. There are several different books by this author that show the same classroom of diverse students for various different holidays, but you don’t have to read the others in the series to understand.
Also Check Out:
Books that Celebrate Mothers and Mother’s Day
