A Day with Dad [Hardcover]

Bo R. Holmberg (Author), Eva Eriksson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2008 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

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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From Booklist

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

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076363221X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763632212
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.4 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,291,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Today Tim's dad has come to spend the day with him, May 8, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Day with Dad (Hardcover)

Written by teacher Bo R. Holmberg, A Day with Dad is a simple children's picturebook about a boy named Tim who shares the day with his dad. Tim lives with his mom and his dad lives in another town, but today Tim's dad has come to spend the day with him. They eat hot dogs together, go to see a cartoon movie, and visit the library. Tim is proud and happy to introduce his dad to everyone he meets. At last it is time for Tim's dad to take the train home. "'Excuse me,' Dad announces to the people in the train car. 'Can I say something?' Everyone stops and stares at him. 'Well,' Dad says, 'this is Tim. He is my son. He is the best son anyone could have.'" The simple, gentle illustrations add the perfect touch in this ideal book for helping a child get accustomed to the unfortunate necessity of seeing a separated parent only on certain days.

5.0 out of 5 stars Seizing the Day, February 2, 2011

By 

One Potato - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Day with Dad (Hardcover)

Magnificent. Try to ignore the blandness of the title, which speaks more to the modesty of these characters than the author's aspirations. There's a divorce somewhere in the background here, still this is a story determined to look at the simple, even ritual acts of putting something back together - a hot dog, a movie, the library - rather than lingering on whatever broke it. "This is my Dad!" blurts the boy to no one in particular on the train heading out. Unblinkingly hopeful.