Daddies Are for Catching Fireflies (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin) [Paperback]

Harriet Ziefert (Author), Cynthia Jabar (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Lift-the-Flap, Puffin

Daddies do so many terrific things. A daddy always gives you the best seat at the parade, he reads you bedtime stories, and he tries his best to fix your toys when they break (even if he doesn't always succeed). Filled with soft, beauti-ful watercolor artwork and lilting text, this lift-the-flap book about all the great things fathers do is perfect for young children.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K-Parental roles are celebrated in these lift-the-flap books. Cartoon illustrations of multihued parents and children accompany simple statements such as those in the titles. Occasionally, thoughts are continued in text found beneath the flaps. The roles as described here are traditional ones. Daddies tease and play, offer a bit of comfort, and go to work. Mommies do a lot of caregiving, cook breakfast, and remind children of their manners. None of these women are shown working outside of the home and a picture of children getting off of the school bus is paired with, "A mommy waits for you to come home." These books are not as charming as many of Ziefert's other titles or as effective as Laura Numeroff's What Mommies Do Best/What Daddies Do Best (S & S, 1998). Flap appeal aside, this is well-intentioned literary fluff comforting to those children whose lifestyles match the featured models.
Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 16 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140565531
• ISBN-13: 978-0140565539
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 7.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Harriet Ziefert was born in New Jersey. She grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey, where she attended the local schools. She graduated from Smith College, then received a Masters degree in Education from New York University. "About twelve years ago," says Ziefert in a 1995 interview, "I tried to get a job as an editor, but no one would hire me as a trade editor. So I decided to write my own books." Since then, she has written several hundred books, mostly picture books and easy-to-read books. "I write books very quickly," she says, "in about twelve hours. I rewrite them three times over three days, and then they're done." She writes about twenty books a year. Ziefert's picture book A New Coat for Anna is about a girl in a bombed-out European city during the months just after World War II. Anna has outgrown her old coat, and her mother trades her few surviving treasures--a watch, a lamp, a necklace, and a porcelain teapot--in order to obtain wool and have it spun, woven, and finally sewn into a fine red coat for Anna. A Horn Book Magazine reviewer stated, "the simple text, based on a true story, carries the narrative along effectively." The book, which was illustrated by Anita Lobel, was chosen as one of ten books to be read aloud by former First Lady Barbara Bush as part of a program promoting reading. Ziefert was invited to the White House for the occasion. The reason Ziefert began writing easy-to-read books was that she felt "they were getting too hard for kids to read in the first grade." She says that she wrote easy-to-read books with seventy-five or fewer words, even ones with fifty or fewer words, "to see how much of a story" she could produce with that limit. She enjoyed the challenge, and cites her book Sleepy Dog as an example. "Sleepy Dog is the most successful book I've ever done, in terms of number of books sold." She's also been working on a developmental program with publisher Dorling Kindersley, made up of books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Her book Pete's Chicken, which was illustrated by Laura Rader, was reviewed in the New York Times Book Review as "a simple, sweet 'Song of Myself' for children . . . [which] applauds the specialness of every child as it reminds parents of the healing power of just being there for children." Among her other books is a series of easy-to-read books, such as Trip Day and Worm Day, about an inventive science teacher and his rambunctious class of students. Ziefert's book Let's Get a Pet was named an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children by a joint committee of the National Science Teachers Association and the Children's Book Council. . Ms. Ziefert lives in Maplewood, New Jersey and Lincoln, Massachusetts. She has two adult sons.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A first-time mom, April 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Daddies Are for Catching Fireflies (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book for a father to read to his son or daughter. So many of my daughter's books talked about a mother/child relationship, and I hadn't really found any books about a father/child relationship that I liked until I found this book. It talks about the very special things that a father might do for his child, such as teaching him to swim or fixing a broken toy. For example, one page shows a daddy taking his child to a parade. Then the reader lifts the flap to show that the daddy has given his child "the best seat at the parade" by placing him on his shoulders. My daughter likes this book, and so does my husband.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making Daddies More Approachable and Human, June 1, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Daddies Are for Catching Fireflies (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin) (Paperback)

This book would make a wonderful present from a 2 year old for Father's Day. Children from 2-6 should be very pleased with the book. The images and activities are fairly divided between daughters and sons, so it should be equally enjoyable for all young children. The large, pleasant water colors will be accessible for very young children. One year-olds will enjoy looking at the pictures. The book can also be used as a beginning reader around age 5. Lifting the flaps will seem like peek-a-boo for 2-3 year olds and will bring torrents of giggles.

The book basically recounts lots of things that Daddies can help children with. My favorite was an illustration of a dozing Mom in a chair accompanied by the caption: "Sometimes at the end of the day, Daddy puts you to bed."

The book begins by having a girl try on Daddy's shoes and a boy put on Daddy's belt. Dealing with the relative size issue is a good place to start, and by making it humorous can take some of the potential discomfort out of the size differentials between children and the Daddies.

When the flap is lifted, the child is included more directly with Daddy. For example, one illustration shows a Daddy shaving while a boy looks on. The caption is "A daddy shaves." Under the flap, the boy has put some shaving cream on his own face, as well. The caption under the flap says "And is good to smell."

Daddies tickle your feet, mess your hair, try to fix things (not always successfully), help you deal with deep water (and teach you how to swim), protect you from big dogs, answer questions, go to work, and put you on their shoulders so you can see better.

The book creates the expectation that Daddies will do things with their children, but not that Daddies are perfect. As you can see from the example, care is taken to turn Daddy's size into an advantage for the youngster.

A benefit of having a book like this is to encourage Daddies and children to do more things together. Children are often very attached to their Mommies, and some are more than a little afraid of their Daddies. This book sets up an expectation of doing things with Daddies alone sometimes. That's good. Almost all children's books features Mommies doing things with children, so this book helps balance that mental image out.

After you have been reading this book for awhile, I suggest that you ask your child what things Daddies could do that she or he would like that are not listed in the book. That can help you expand your relationship in mutually rewarding ways.

Keep your eyes open for fireflies!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, sturdy book, August 10, 2006

By 

littled - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Daddies Are for Catching Fireflies (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin) (Paperback)

My 20 month old daughter loves this book. The flaps are large and easy to lift. The illustrations are cute. This book does a great job of showing that a lot of the everyday things Daddy's do are special. My daughter often asks to read this when her dad is working late, and she is thinking of him.