A Father's Day Booklist

Stories about fathers abound in our library.  Readers think about the characteristics of the characters and the relationships they build with those around them.  These are books that our students have come back to read and discuss over and over again. If you have other titles you recommend, please add them in the comments!

Picture Books:

In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall, a collection of poems by outstanding Black writers and illustrated by Javaka Steptoe.

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and gorgeously illustrated by Vashti Harrison is about a young girl and her father helping her style her hair into a beautiful, natural style that is all her.

My Papa is a Princess by Doug Cenko is a story of snapshots from the point of view of a young daughter who shares the activities her father does with her.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoenherr is the story of a father and daughter who venture out deep into the night to find the beauty in looking for owls.

Elena's Serenade by Campbell Geeslin and illustrated superbly by Ana Juan is about Elena, a girl in Mexico who wants to become a glassblower. With the help and support of her father, she reaches her goal.

A Different Pond by Bao Phi and illustrated so beautifully by Thi Bui is about a boy whose father tells him about his life before he immigrated to Minneapolis from Vietnam.

Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle is a story about how the male seahorses carry the eggs in their belly after they are laid by the mothers.

Dad and the Dinosaur by Ginnifer Choldenko and illustrated marvelously by Dan Santat is about a boy whose toy dinosaur goes missing and how his father helps him find it again.

Pete's a Pizza by William Steig is about a time when a boy couldn't go out to play with his friends because of the weather so his father plays a game with him to cheer him up--by turning him into a pizza!

One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads by Johnny Valentine and illustrated by Melody Sarecky is about the different ways that families form and function, but in the end, love is what is the same.

Chapter Books:

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead, about Bea, a ten year old girl, whose parents divorced because her father is gay and is planning to marry again.

Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary, about 7 year old Ramona whose father just lost his job and she must deal with how their lives will change as a result of that.

Squirm by Carl Hiaasen is about Billy, a tween whose father left him and his mother when he was 3.  Now Billy discovers his address in Montana so he sets off from Florida to find him and get some answers.  Along the way there are adventures, new family and the possibility to build a relationship with his dad.

Before the Ever After a novel in verse by Jacqueline Woodson is from the point of view of ZJ, a son whose father plays for the NFL but he is acting strange.  Doctors do not know about the lasting effects of concussions and brain injuries for football players at this point, so putting the pieces together and learning to live with a new personality is the heart of this story.

The Crossover, a novel in verse by Kwame Alexander is about a pair of 14 year old twin basketball stars, Josh and Jordan, and their lives as their father's health goes downward.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks, 12 year old Zoe, who is a budding baker, receives a letter from her biological father whom she has never met while he is serving time in prison for a crime he did not commit.  

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park is a historical fiction story about a half-Chinese girl named Hanna whose father and their journey to the Dakota Territory in the 1880s to begin a new life after her mother passes away in California.