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Blue-Ribbon Dad
by Beth Raisner Glass and Illustrated by Margie Moore

A little squirrel knows that his dad will be home in five hours, and he wants to make his dad something special as a surprise. His dad wakes him up in the morning, gives him hugs and kisses. So with four hours to go, the little squirrel gets out his glue, glitter, pencils, and clay. His dad also packs his favorite lunches and watches his swim lessons at the pool. With three hours left, the little squirrel adds bright sequins to a number one for his dad. His dad also helps him with his homework and reading. With two hours left, the little squirrel adds a golden star sticker to his surprise. What other things does the little squirrel’s dad do for him? Will his dad really like the surprise that the little squirrel has made for him? What kinds of things does your dad do especially for you?

My Dad the Magnificent
by Kristy Parker and illustrated by Lillian Hoban

A little boy’s friend Alex tells him about how his dad, the fireman, had pulled a baby and a dog from a burning building. So the little boy decides to tell Alex how great his dad is, too. He tells Alex that on Mondays, his dad is a lion tamer, and the lions listen to him. Then on Tuesdays, his dad is a cowboy that rides on the range and rounds up wild cows. On Wednesdays, his dad plays professional basketball, and he slam dunks the basketball. Then on Thursdays, his dad is a deep-sea diver that digs up treasures and saves babies from sharks. On Fridays, he explores the North Pole on a dog sled. Do you think that the little boy’s dad does any of these things? There are things, though, that his dad does that make him magnificent. What does your dad do that makes him magnificent?

All Shook Up
by Shelley Pearsall

After his grandmother falls and breaks her hip in Florida, Josh’s mother tells him that he will be staying with his father in Chicago for a few months, while she is helping his grandmother get better. Josh is shocked when his dad comes to get him at the airport with black slicked back hair, side burns, and a blue Hawaiian shirt with orange parrots on it. Then he notices when someone says that his dad looks like Elvis. His dad responds to the people, and Josh is shocked. Josh’s dad tells him that he lost his job when the shoe store closed down. Then one day he had entered an Elvis singing contest at the mall and won. Then Josh’s dad decided to work impersonating Elvis temporarily, until he could find another job. He also finds out that his dad is better at taking care of his house and can even cook. Josh then starts worrying what the other kids at school will think about him and his dad that pretends to be Elvis. Josh is afraid that his dad will make him the laughing stock of the seventh grade. On the first day of school, Josh is feeling pretty good, until he finds a Post-it note on his locker signed “Elvisly Yours.” Then he knows he’s in trouble of being ashamed on his dad. However, his dad forgets his Elvis costume one night, and Josh gets to meet his dad’s friend, Viv. He also meets Viv’s daughter, Ivory, and he finds out that she is the one who has been writing the notes. Josh thinks that Ivory is really weird, but she seems to like him anyway. Josh finds a job that he thinks will be great for his dad, but his dad tells him that you have to take chances in life, if you want to do the things you love. Josh’s dad is really enjoying being an Elvis impersonator. After hitting a ball in gym class, Josh gets invited to sit at the more popular kids’ table, and he starts to think that things are looking up. After school, though, Josh finds out that his dad has been invited by the choir director to sing at the school. Josh is horrified at this, and he starts thinking of ways to get his dad to not sing at the school. So Josh comes up with a plan to keep his dad from singing at the school. Will Josh’s dad find out about Josh’s plan? Will Josh ever be proud of his father’s Elvis impersonation? Will Josh feel bad about his idea, and will he tell his dad what he has done?

Bertie: Just Like Daddy
by Marcus Pfister

At breakfast time, Bertie decides that he wants coffee, just like his daddy drinks, but Bertie’s daddy tells him that he will have to wait until he is bigger to drink coffee. Daddy does let him have a little bit of the foam, though, because he is so big. Bertie then says that he wants to read the newspaper like his daddy does. Daddy tells him that he will learn to read when he gets bigger, but his daddy does help him make a paper hat out of the newspaper. Bertie then tells his daddy that he wants to shave, too. Daddy tells him that he can have some of the shaving cream on his face. There are other things that daddy does that Bertie wants to do too, such as shopping with a credit card, cooking, and not taking a nap, but his daddy tells him that he can do (or not do) those things when he is bigger. Are there some things that your daddy does that you can’t wait to do, too? Is there something that Bertie does that his daddy wants to do, too?