Can you believe Father's Day is just a month away? Are you ready for it? I expect this year to be difficult for me, but my goal is to celebrate Steve. My Dad's Celebration of Life will be just over a week before Father's Day. I know he is in a better place and in many ways, we said goodbye to him years ago as his memory and brain went away, but I still miss him. Today we are sharing four picture books that are perfect for Father's Day and just for showing father figures in the life of kids. So many picture books share the mother-child relationship, but these share a father-child or male adult-child relationship. We will start with Dear Dad by Flamingo Books and illustrated by Natalie Lundeen. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.
About the Book:
A heartfelt message of love and appreciation for the guys who are always there for us–dads! The perfect gift for Father’s Day, new dads, baby showers, and paternal figures everywhere.Dear Dad,
You are my favorite dude.
…And so begins this sweet tale of appreciating fathers and the beautiful bond that they have with their children. A love letter to fathers everywhere, Dear Dad is an ode to the people in all of our lives who teach us invaluable life skills and look out for us.
Tender and beautifully illustrated, this picture book serves as a token of appreciation for the most important people in our lives, and is the perfect way to show dads everywhere just how much we love them.
From Me:
This book is a love letter to a father. It shares about the amazing things dads do and how important they are to kids. It shares things like going fishing, dad cooking, being silly, and playing. Dads are often the ones who will let go and be silly and fun with kids. This book shares that fact. It is really just a wonderful love letter to dad.
This book is fun and perfect for gifts for dads on Father's Day, baby showers or the new dads out there. It is fun and will be a great book for dad to read to the kids!
Our next book is about a father and toddler getting ready to leave the house. Many parents will find it humorous and all too real of a story. Kids will be laughing too. The book is Hold by Randy Ribay and illustrated by Zeke Peña. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7.
About the Book:
A funny, heartwarming picture book about a father and his child’s boundless curiosity that reminds us what’s important to hold onto in life.It’s time to leave the house, but…where are the keys?? As Daddy rummages through the mess, he hands a water bottle to his toddler and says, “Hold, please.” This accidental request turns into an adventure when the child wants to hold…EVERYTHING!
Before long, the toddler has their arms full with their favorite stuffie, toy plane, even the family pet, and has set their sights on more ambitious items—the rain, a tree, and more—until it becomes too much to hold. Luckily, Daddy’s always there to hold them.
From Me:
In this fun book, a father is trying to get out the door with a toddler. The father cannot find his keys, so he asks the toddler to hold his water cup. The toddler keeps wanting to hold various things from his stuffie, cat, airplane, a tree, and so much more. He finally wants to hold his father and is then ready to go. It is a story that shows how many toddlers are when trying to get them out of the house. They want more and want to do things on their own. At times they want to have more than they can actually handle and feel overwhelmed. In this story it is the father who is there to help.
This is a sweet book that explores the humor of understanding the toddler mind but also shares the special bond between father and child. It is also a wonderful reminder that fathers are there to help little ones. It is a perfect book for Father's Day as well as gifts for new dads or baby showers.
Our next book is being released on June 2, 2026. It is a fun book about a young girl's embarrassment of her father's mustache and how it ends up helping her when she is lost. The book is My Papa's Mustache is Red by Leo Espinosa. There is a Spanish version as well. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
Papa is a fearless pillow fighter, a pancake ninja, and a pigtail artist – that’s what his daughter thinks. There’s just one problem. Papa has a red mustache. While every other man has a black mustache, Papa is the only man with a red one. It’s embarrassing!
But when Papa takes his daughter to watch her first soccer game, she is too excited to realize that the two have become separated. Where is her papa with the red mustache? In a victorious and goal-worthy finale that will have readers laughing and cheering, she realizes that her papa’s red mustache makes him shine the brightest.
Pura Belpré Honor recipient and New York Times bestselling illustrator of Junot Díaz’s Islandborn, Leo Espinosa makes his authorial debut in this clever and heartwarming picture book that celebrates a child’s boundless love for a parent, and the unique traits that make parents extraordinary to their kids– even the silly ones!
From Me:
This is a sweet book that shares how sometimes the thing we dislike of someone be the thing that makes you realize how special they actually are. It is the red mustache that makes the girl realize she is with the wrong man and the red mustache she notices when her papa is on the field. It is a fun story about love and family. Plus, it is perfect for the World Cup games as well as Father's Day.
Our final book celebrates the men in children's lives who are not the fathers but love like a father should. The book is Just Right by Torrey Maldonado and illustrated by Teresa Martinez. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
Toby’s mom always says there are people that make you feel just right. And while his dad can be hard to please, it’s a different story with his amazing uncle. Uncle showers Toby with smiles, hugs, and kind words, and his garage is like a second home to Toby—there’s even a chair with Toby’s name on it next to Uncle’s desk! Yes, Toby can always count on Uncle to step up and make him feel just right.
From Me:
