A Day with Dad - Hardcover

Holmberg, Bo R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 076363221X ISBN 13: 9780763632212

Publisher: Candlewick, 2008

Synopsis

A child’s visit with Dad is a day full of quiet pleasures in a genuine, tender story many young readers will relate to.

Tim lives with his mom. His dad lives in another town. But today, Tim’s dad is coming on the train so the two can spend the whole day together — just Tim and Dad. Everywhere the pair goes — the movie theater, the pizzeria, the library — Tim proudly tells the people they meet, "This is my dad!" At the end of the day, Tim is sad to see his dad go but knows that they’ll be together again soon. Author Bo R. Holmberg and illustrator Eva Eriksson offer a sensitive and honest portrait of a special day between father and son.

About this title

About the Author

Bo R. Holmberg has written many books for children and young adults. He lives in Sweden.

Eva Eriksson has been illustrating books for nearly thirty years. She lives in Sweden.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2—Tim and his mom are waiting at the train station for the arrival of his father, who lives in another town. They eat hot dogs, go to the movies, and visit the local pizzeria, and Tim proudly announces to everyone within earshot that this is his dad. As the special day draws to a close, Tim and his father go to the library, where they cuddle on a couch and read. Back at the station, Dad takes Tim aboard the train to look around, announcing to the passengers, "this is Tim. He is my son. He is the best son anyone could have." Then they say goodbye. As the boy and his mom watch the train depart, Tim knows that his father will be back. While this book succeeds in showing youngsters that even though parents may live apart, they still love their children, it leaves readers with a sad feeling. The colored-pencil illustrations, contained in tidy rectangles or squares, are rather dark and the overall effect is quite somber. An additional purchase where stories about divorce are needed.—Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI
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Holmberg offers comfort and a guarded optimism to children dealing with their parents’ separation. Tim lives with his mom in a new town. As the book opens, his dad arrives via train to spend time with him. Holmberg tells the story of their day together with graceful understatement, making clear that the boy’s greatest happiness is just being with Dad again. He wants to make sure that everyone from the hot dog lady to the librarian knows that this man is his father. The pictures, like the text, aren’t flashy (familiar scenes are done with colored pencil in muted tones), but they convey strong emotions: the nervous expectation before Dad arrives, the pleasure of physical proximity, the slight unease both father and son feel at the end of the day. As the train disappears down the track taking Dad away, the narrator reminds young readers that one day soon, “The train will come back . . . And Tim will spend another day with Dad.” Grades K-3. --Abby Nolan

Edition details

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 076363221X
• ISBN 13: 9780763632212
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Eriksson Eva
• Number of pages: 32