Review by Booklist Review
In this companion book to Van Slyke and Burris' Mom School (2015), a young boy notes, My dad says he went to school, too, and imagines that he went to dad school. There he and other men picked up the skills that fathers need to know: fixing boo-boos and faucets, making enormous sandwiches and ice cream sundaes, and multitasking by playing Go Fish while paying bills. The boy muses that dads should never be late for school or they might miss lessons on such important topics as making big muscles and throwing kids into the air and catching them. The fathering skills mentioned in the clearly written text will resonate with kids, while some parts will strike them as funny. Actually, most of the humor arises from the illustrations cheerful ink drawings with digitally added colors which portray the adults in a preschool-like setting where they squeeze into a corrugated-cardboard-box car and ride around on tiny two-wheelers with training wheels. An amusing perspective on fatherhood.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Van Slyke and Burris return to the premise of Mom School (2015) as a boy imagines what the curriculum must be like at "Dad School," where fathers learn to do the things they do best. There's a lot of fun to be had in Burris's scraggly pencil illustrations, which show fathers racing around the schoolyard on bikes with training wheels, using stuffed animals to practice "how to throw their kids up in the air and catch them," and eating towering sandwiches at a table better suited to kindergartners. Sweetly funny and full of paternal devotion. Ages 3-7. Author's agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator's agency: Christina A. Tugeau Artist Agency. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-What is Dad School? Lucas, the young narrator of this picture book, envisions it as a place where studious men gather to learn how to fix boo-boos, mend leaky faucets, and make fabulous food like giant sandwiches with pickles and chips. Van Slyke fills the pages with affectionate commentary and only occasional snark: "Sometimes I think my dad missed the days they taught about matching clothes, brushing hair, and cleaning the bathroom.... But I'm glad he was there when they taught about making ice cream sundaes, telling silly stories, and giving piggyback rides when I'm too tired to walk anymore." Lucas decides that his father must have been the best student at Dad School and that he takes his position seriously. Children will be swept along by Burris's upbeat, endearing illustrations. VERDICT A likable and loving tribute to dads and a worthy successor to Mom School, an earlier collaboration.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A child named Lucas imagines the school his dad must have attended to learn how to be such an awesome father. The syllabus at Dad School consists of learning how to deal with boo-boos and leaky faucets and how to make yummy snacks. There are also a few tongue-in-cheek lessons they shouldn't miss, including singing "along with old songs on the radio," making big muscles, "throw[ing]kids up in the air and catch[ing] them," and multitasking. While the little white boy is certainly glad his dad was present on the days they taught "making ice cream sundaes, telling silly stories, and giving piggyback rides," he's sure he was absent for matching clothes, combing hair, and cleaning the bathroom. And while this particular dad has another job, he says his favorite, best, and most important job is being a dad. Burris' pencil and digital brush illustrations play up the humor and ridiculousness of a bunch of guys learning (and struggling with) the curriculum. Dads of all sorts of hair and skin colors are shown in the illustrations, though all are able-bodied and relatively trim. And while they may be a bit inept at Dad School, hopefully their on-the-job training has given them the skills they need to succeed. Food for thought for kids: just how did Dad learn his mad skillz? (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
