My Amazing Dad

Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Tom Jellett

Little Hare Books, 2015

32pp., hbk., RRP $24.95

9781921894862

 Does it matter if Dad can’t mow the lawn but can make amazing mazes?  Or bake a cake if he knows where the cake shop is? Or get you to school on time if he gets you there eventually via a giant hopscotch?  Does it matter if he can’t fix a leaky tap but loves to make bubble baths or remember bedtime because he’s telling the best stories?  Absolutely not.  He is still an amazing dad! And it’s all sorted by the time mum gets home from work, anyway.

 This is a wonderful story of a dad in a different family structure, one that more and more children can relate to as dads choose to be the stay-at-home parent and mums take on the outside work load. Through the juxtaposition of what this dad can and can’t do, it challenges the stereotypes of dads in other stories as Tom Jellett provides the most subtle hints that this is just another manifestation of what we embrace as family today.  His big bright pictures are bold and vibrant, bringing the simple but powerful text to life perfectly. The colour choices celebrate the exuberance and abundance of love in this family.

 As Father’s Day draws near, this would be an ideal story to focus on the roles of dads and where they fit in the students’ families, albeit with the caveat about being sensitive to those who do not have a live-in dad, as well as the shape of families of today.