Daddy & Dada - Hardcover

Brockington, Ryan; Webster, Isaac

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316427020 ISBN 13: 9780316427029

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2021

Synopsis

Families can come in all shapes and sizes, and this heartwarming picture book affirms that no matter what your family looks like, love is the most important part!

Hi, I'm Rumi.
Some of my friends have one mom and one dad.
Some have one mom or one dad.
I have two dads. Daddy and Dada.

Daddy sings songs with me. Dada reads me stories.
Every family is different.
And that's pretty cool.

This sweet, open-hearted book began as a love letter from authors Ryan Brockington and Isaac Webster to their daughter—and became a joyous celebration of love, family, and acceptance for all to read and share.

About this title

About the Author

Ryan Brockington and Isaac Webster met in 2007, married in 2013, and became dads in 2016. As their family became larger, they quickly realized stories like theirs weren't being shared as much as they would hope, and so they set out to create a new world of stories, celebrating all families.

Lauren May has spent most of her life in New England doing exciting things, which include drinking tea and wearing sweaters. She loves to draw almost as much as she loves her family. When not illustrating, she enjoys spending time with her husband, dog, and many, many plants.

Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—Written by real-life fathers and couple Brockington and Webster, this sweet and affirming picture book is a love letter to all kinds of families. On the title page, blonde, four-year-old narrator Rumi introduces herself to readers. The page turn presents Daddy and Dada, who are lovingly depicted with their arms around each other. Though Daddy and Dada interact with Rumi differently, they both love her "THIS much." Readers then meet the two other members of the family: baby Xander and dog Betty; all but Xander have very pale skin. For the rest of the book, Rumi ruminates on other types of families that she sees, ranging from two to nine family members (including pets). Rumi also expands her description of her own family to include grandparents, uncles, an aunt, cousins, and even a friend who calls her a sister. As her dads say, "Sometimes friends are just like family." In the final spread, Rumi asks readers about their own families. May's digital cartoon illustrations and the book's sunny tone make for a warm and inviting story. Readers looking for books that normalize LGBTQ+ families will be delighted that this inclusive title is matter-of-fact without needing to defend or overly explain. While the featured family is white, Rumi notices a diverse array of families with various skin tones (and one wheelchair user). For all its attempted inclusivity, however, it is disappointing not to see different body sizes represented as well. VERDICT A positive, kid-friendly addition for all picture book collections.—Alec Chunn, Eugene P. L., OR

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316427020
• ISBN 13: 9780316427029
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32