DAD SCHOOL

A child named Lucas imagines the school his dad must have attended to learn how to be such an awesome father.

The syllabus at Dad School consists of learning how to deal with boo-boos and leaky faucets and how to make yummy snacks. There are also a few tongue-in-cheek lessons they shouldn’t miss, including singing “along with old songs on the radio,” making big muscles, “throw[ing]…kids up in the air and catch[ing] them,” and multitasking. While the little white boy is certainly glad his dad was present on the days they taught “making ice cream sundaes, telling silly stories, and giving piggyback rides,” he’s sure he was absent for matching clothes, combing hair, and cleaning the bathroom. And while this particular dad has another job, he says his favorite, best, and most important job is being a dad. Burris’ pencil and digital brush illustrations play up the humor and ridiculousness of a bunch of guys learning (and struggling with) the curriculum. Dads of all sorts of hair and skin colors are shown in the illustrations, though all are able-bodied and relatively trim. And while they may be a bit inept at Dad School, hopefully their on-the-job training has given them the skills they need to succeed.

Food for thought for kids: just how did Dad learn his mad skillz? (Picture book. 4-8)