My daddy is a great big bear. He gets out of bed and grumbles and grouches, scratches and yawns!
This charming picture book for younger children portrays a day in the life of a dad and daughter in a single-parent home, as they get up, have breakfast, go to school, go swimming, make dinner and prepare for bedtime. Dad is a great big bear, a silly monkey, a crocodile, an octopus and, at bedtime, a scary monster for a little while – but in the end it's Daddy being Daddy that the little girl loves best.
About the Author :
DIANNE HOFMEYR grew up on the tip of southern Africa. Her acclaimed picture books include The Magic Bojabi Tree, which was nominated for the 2014 Kate Greenaway Award and Zeraffa Giraffa, which is on The Sunday Times' Top 100 Children's Classics list. Dianne Hofmeyr lives in west London.
CAROL THOMPSON has written and illustrated more than 60 books for children and her work has been translated into over 20 languages. Carol is an IBBY UK committee member. She lives in Leicester.
Review :
"Colourful mixed media and collage capture the joy and dynamism of the happy pair."
"A joyful celebration of daddies everywhere with appeal and resonance for children and their parents too."
"An imaginative children's story full of fabulous animal fun as a little girl imagines all the animals that her daddy can be like...Told from the perspective of a single parent dad bringing up a daughter, this is a fantastic little book that doesn't stray too far into 'Dads being daft' territory."
"This warm and affectionate depiction of a day in the life of a single dad and his daughter is lovingly rendered in lots of splashy detail by Carol Thompson. The playful text works well with the energetic illustration; Dad is cheerful, fun and realistically exhausted by the end of the day, and the little girl is, again, authentically depicted as a whirlwind of activity."
"Lovely pics and lots of giggles as we read it through. Perfect idea for father's day."
"Thompson's mixed-media-with-collage illustrations bring the fun to life, the daughter's joy and the father's exuberance more than evident on the page. Bright colors and a scratchy, splotchy style suit the topic, and observant readers can see details in the pictures that lead the child to think her dad is each kind of animal. Readers at home and at school will enjoy using this as a springboard for describing their own dads and the things they do together."
