Customer Reviews

When Papa Comes Home Tonight

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I chose this book for my 4-year-old to help him build a stronger bond with my husband who has been working long hours and is seeing him less and less as time goes on. It has really helped him to reconnect despite not having much time together and it has even given Daddy ideas of things they can do together. When we're missing him, we pick up this book and cuddle close and talk about how much fun we're going to have when Daddy comes home. The illustrations are soft and a mix of soft, soothing colors and the words are mostly simple enough for a beginning reader. A priceless treasure to have in your little one's library.

Typically, I think of the best children's books as imparting a wise (though sometimes subtle) message or sharing just some goofy, happy story. But I'm not exactly sure what to make of this book. It's about 22 pages of large illustrations (the book is a large square, maybe about 10 x 10 inches) that depict a father and son doing different activities upon the father's return from work. The inside flap describes the book as a celebration of the simple moments between parent and child, which is accurate. The book describes the child and father cooking, washing dishes, fixing the toy wagon, etc. together. I guess what throws me is that the text describes all of these activities as a sequence of what will occur once father comes home. Maybe if dad comes home at 3 pm and the child doesn't go to bed until 8 pm, you'd have time for all these things at once.

I'm also thrown by the fact that father is coming home from work and cooking dinner and cleaning up afterwards, typically jobs done by mom. But I can understand the author trying not to reinforce stereotypes. It all gets really over the top when the author mentions that while the child is sleeping, he'll make a kite and leave it at the bed for when the child wakes up. I suppose my concern is that the typical dad doesn't have time to do all these things, and more likely than not, doesn't do a number of these things at all. It sets up expectations which can end in disappointment. I don't think dad or child needs that.

Beautiful illustrations by David McPhail. Child and Papa's expression are very pleasant. Every single page is delightful with child cooking with papa, singing, playing, reading...amazing! My complain is that book leaves you with the feeling of incompleteness. Why is mom missing from the evening activity? My 5 year old daughter asks me every time we read this book - why the boy does not have a mom?

This book is a very short story for an adult to read with a child to encourage early reading. It is about 22 pages with the illustrations. It is a very large format, but is similar in size to other picture books a child (or children's library section) may have on the bookshelf. The illustrations are appealing and stimulate discussion of their contents.

I like it because the father may be using mass transit to commute and it appears that he is coming home from work. There does not appear to be any other humans in the home, so it appears that the interaction between parent and child is of paramount importance. The child appears to be a boy, but it is good that there is nothing in the text that makes it clear what gender the child is. There is also no TV watching, the story is all about their personal interaction. One thing I find interesting is that the father prepares a surprise for child to find, which implies to me that he (as are many fathers) will not be home when the child awakens in the morning.

This is a good book to help reinforce the idea (to both father and child) that even though the father is away from the home for most of the day, the focus of his life is the home and the family. It has the potential to become one of a child's favorite books. I think that it will be a good addition to a home or public library!

In this sequell to When Mamma Gets Home the author has teken the fun of a father's return home which is a routine event for most adults and yet such large event in our young children's lives and captured the fun and excitement.

My preschooler enjoyed this story, but it was the stunningly styled art by David McPhail that sold me on this volume. The story did not delight my adult ear or mind, but the art work is a joy to behold.

As you can tell from the book title, the story is about the time the dad spends with his son after he comes back from work. From playing, doing some chores and getting ready to bed, the story is simple, but sends a good message.

The artwork and book quality are quite good.

Dads should read this book at least once every once in a while to remind themselves that they should spend "quality" time with their kids.

We bought this for my grandson a couple of years back and it has become a required bedtime reading when he is with us. We both have actually memorized it. He calls me Papa and this has become our theme. While it may have some small flaws he and I both love it!!!

While this book does not even begin to compare with its predecessor, When Mama Comes Home Tonight, it is nice to have Papa involved in a child's life. Nice addition to my grandmotherly library.

I like this book but it doesn't live up to it's counterpart, When Mama Comes Home Tonight. The illustrations are not as inviting for children as the other book. Still I would recommend it.

Within this book is a lovely idea - the story of a father that works away from home and a child that misses him. The book reassures the child that Papa will return home, and there are so many things they can do when he does.

Past that premise is subpar writing and storytelling. "It can be hard waiting for Papa to come home, but it'll be worth it because you'll both have so much fun when he does! (front flap)" Yet there are moments that don't seem to flow well for a rhyming story, or carry much excitement at all, as another reviewer mentioned the rice verse. The story is also setting up specific activities in a specific sequence that many dads may not do with their child, so there is a chance of disappointment when they don't receive a kite as they awake the next day.

The 3 stars I give this book are for the beautiful illustrations of soft watercolor and inked edges by David McPhail. Each page is a lovely depiction of the activities between father and son.

Note: Although the illustrations portray a boy, the story does not reference this.