Daddy Adventure Day

Daddy Adventure Day

This heartwarming book by Dave Keane is so well-observed and dryly funny, I felt like I was making a little comedy film.

Kirkus’ Review

Editor Review (reviewed on April 1, 2011)
A young boy narrates a special time spent with his dad.

Daddy Adventure Days have some rules: there’s no reading the newspaper or calling work. There are perks, too: Surprises often happen, and the narrator “always get[s] a lot of great stuff.” Today’s Daddy Adventure Day is dedicated to going to the boy’s first big-league baseball game. But things don’t start out too well for dad: He is woken way too early by the thumping of a baseball rolling down the stairs, and he’s grouchy about missing his paper and not being able to call the office. The contrast between the hyper-excited boy and the laid-back dad provides gentle humor. Ramá’s saturated watercolors and collage skillfully depict the boy’s many happy moments, such as his wide-eyed wonder as he gazes upon the “green checkerboard” field, his surprise at being given a caught foul ball and his utter contentment as he and his dad lay on the couch at the end of the eventful day. Keane’s classic pairing of a father-son relationship and baseball will be best shared one-on-one.

As a blueprint for father-son fun, it’s not a bad one. (Picture book. 3-5)

LA Times

“Daddy Adventure Day” by Dave Keane, illustrated by Sue Ramá (Philomel Books: $15.99, ages 3-6) also sings the praises of undivided attention. Just in time for the beginning of the baseball season, it reminds fathers who find it overwhelming to find time to spend with their kids that, really, all they have to do is show up, and the rest takes care of itself.

The “Daddy Adventure Day” of this book is clearly an uncommon event. Dad is grumpy because it’s not a vacation day as he knows it: He’s not allowed to read the paper or phone the office. In fact, most of the stuff dad feels responsible for is irrelevant today. For the little boy going to his first ball game with his father, rooting for the white shirts trumps knowing the rules, and the seagulls at the ballpark are as fascinating as the foul balls. But gradually, father and son get on the same page, so that by day’s end, they’re a happy pair.

One tip for the dads: Just showing up is most of the battle, but you might want to wear clothing that can tolerate a lot of spills.

Bolle writes Word Play, which appears monthly at http://www.latimes.com/books.
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

Booklist

A young boy and his easygoing father spend the day together and attend the boy’s first major league baseball game in this story of father-son bonding. The father doesn’t seem enthusiastic about the day, which, for the boy, begins at 4:15 a.m. Dad’s routine is constantly interrupted with reminders that work is not allowed on Daddy Adventure Day, and that means no morning paper, no cell phones, and so forth. Thankfully, Dad is good-natured about everything, and all ends well, with the two asleep together on the couch. Brightly colored watercolor and digital collage illustrations deftly portray the boy’s cozy home as well as the vastness of the baseball stadium and, along with the brief, chatty text, convey the sense of the specialness of the day. A similar story for a slightly older audience is told by Helen Ketteman in I Remember Papa (1998). Preschool-Grade 1. –Randall Enos
………
School Library Journal
A boy eagerly awaits a ball-game outing with his father. He wakes up in the wee hours of the morning and cheekily rolls his father’s old baseballs down the stairs, commenting, “I don’t know how he can sleep on such an exciting day.” His father makes other changes to his daily routine: “‘There’s no reading the paper on a Daddy Adventure Day,’ Mommy reminds him,” and “calling work” is also against the rules. At the stadium, the boy is awestruck by the sights and sounds. From their vantage point, the “grass looks like a green checkerboard.” The day includes lots of thrills, from catching a foul ball to sharing a banana split. Rama’s watercolor and digital collage illustrations capture the warm relationship between the wide-eyed boy and his ever-patient dad (who suffers through hot chocolate and root beer spills on his pants). A satisfying story about spending time with loved ones.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC

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