Dads Toddlers & Chicken Dance [Paperback]

Peter Downey (Author), Nik Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 21, 2000

A politically incorrect but indispensable compendium of everything Dad needs to know about raising a toddler, including: babysitting, nutrition, common illnesses, money, lawnmowers, television, bedtime, speech development, tantrums, spanking, toilet-training, birthday parties, parental sanity, choosing a preschool, vasectomies, the chicken dance, and lots of stuff about sex!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter Downey teaches high-school English in Australia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (November 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555612423
• ISBN-13: 978-1555612429
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,118,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter Downey is on executive staff at a Christian school in Sydney, Australia. The author of three marriage and parenting books, including So You're Going to be a Dad, he was listed in The Bulletin magazine as one of Australia's Top Ten parenting authors. He is also author of Everything You Want to Know about the Bible (co-authored with Ben Shaw), a book about Jesus for the Bible Society, and has written for a range of journals and publications. Although he has a Bachelor, Masters, and Doctoral degrees in Arts and Education and a diploma in Biblical Studies, he feels like a guy writing a book about automotive engineering when all he's done is worked part-time in a carwash. He and his wife have three daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ for all Dads: Old and New, December 8, 2001

By 

Rus VanWestervelt (Towson, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dads Toddlers & Chicken Dance (Paperback)

Downey's book is a must read for all dads, old and new to this game of parenting. I was the fortunate recipient of this book, and having read Downey's earlier book, "So You're Gonna Be A Dad," I knew immediately that Downey would deliver with hilarious material that would make a difference in raising my two daughters. I have not been disappointed.
One significant diifference between Downey's book and others is that his approach diminishes the anxiety that comes with being a dad. He lets you know that there's a lot of other guys going through the same things, and they're all doing just fine.
Perfect holiday gift--better yet, the PERFECT gift to give Dad when his son or daughter turns two. I give Downey's book, "Dads, Toddlers, and the Chicken Dance" the highest rating possible: *****.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the dirty goods for new dads, March 17, 2002

By 

Robert Jost (a Canadian living in Austria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dads Toddlers & Chicken Dance (Paperback)

As a 46 year old father of 2 young children, I have found this book to be very informative and very humorous(actually at times horrifying for fathers to be). The book could be classified as humorous horror for fathers. Peter Downey touches on all important aspects of childrearing in a down-to-earth, easy to read, practical, "lets get our hands dirty on this" fashion. Fathers with children will really identify with the problems discussed in this book. He doesn't shy away from touchy topics like sex, nudity in front of the children or physical discipline. He's obviously read the "professionals" on childrearing and his advice on how to deal with the many problems we dads encounter reflects this, but is also heavily flavoured with his own personal strategies developed on the frontlines of being a dad to 3 children himself. Of course, if you're a perfect dad, doing everything right or if you're not a dad you may want to read the book for it's humour, with which Peter is not stingy.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fatherhood, warts and all, December 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dads Toddlers & Chicken Dance (Paperback)

i originally bought this book for my brother-in-law whose daughter was soon to turn one, but when i started reading it in the bookstore, i knew i had to keep it for myself (and my husband). even though our oldest is only four, as parents of PTIs (pre-schooler, toddler, and infant), we have gone through many of the experiences that downey writes about. A sense of humour is your best weapon during toddlerhood. It's great that there's a book out there written by a man, and with a man's point of view. now my husband knows that other fathers feel the same way about diapers, poops, endless questions, bedtime wars, etc. every so often, my husband will burst out laughing while reading a chapter here or there (usually in the bathroom with a locked door). that's when i knew this book was worth keeping. here's to more fathers like downey (and my husband)!