A Father's Song

by Janet Lawler, Lucy Corvino (Illustrator)

In lyrical and charming verse, a father expresses his deep love for his child. With its warm text and lively illustrations that capture a fun day at the park, it's the perfect Father's Day picture book. I can lift you and roll you and fly all day long,To bring on your laughter, as sweet as a song. How many ways can dad show his love? He can lift his son high in the air, gather him close for a ride down the slide, make funny faces to ward away tears, and fly him around "like an airplane that swoops." Together, they'll roll in the leaves, go on the swings, and roar like lions. Best of all, the verse offers fathers plenty of opportunities to play as they read--to tussle and hug, and to make silly sounds and expressions. And that means kids will want their dads to share this with them over and over again. What a delightful celebration of the bond between father and child--and a tale to make Father's Day extra special.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens

22 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 2006

About the author

Janet Lawler is the author of many books for children and is particularly inspired by the natural world. Her inspiration for this book came after listening to a YouTube recording of ten hours’ worth of walrus sounds, after which she wanted to learn more about these interesting creatures and share that knowledge with young readers. She had great fun creating words that reflect the weird noises walruses make! Janet Lawler lives with her family in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Linda Branich · Rating 4 out of 5]

We don't know why this father is spending a day in the park with his son, but we do know that the boy has the father's undivided attention, and that they are having a good day.

Inside both the front and back covers are illustrations from the story. The text is written in rhyme, in medium sized, easy to read font. The artwork is engaging and colorful. The boy has his father's undivided attention.

There is a lot of appropriate touching-- "flying" the boy like an airplane, putting him on Dad's shoulders so he can see better, riding down the slide together, sitting in Dad's lap to read a book, and carrying the boy home on Dad's back. They play games together, such as tag, making animal sounds, read a book, go wading together and Dad also pushes his son on the swing. Both the boy and his father seem to be having a good time.

Did I mention that the boy has his Father's undivided attention? Just one on one time. No blue tooth, I-Phone, computer, play date, business meeting going on while Dad I'd just in his son's presence, and no paperwork from the office. They interact, and the boy has his father all to himself, something that doesn't happen often enough today.

This is a good book for a beginning reader to read along with someone else, picking out the words the child knows. The language is fairly simple, and a more advanced beginning reader could probably read a good deal of it by himself.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this rhyming story, the father of a young child enjoys a day of fun with his child. It is easy to see the love between them in these lovely illustrations.

[Johna Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I can lift you and squeeze you and fly all day long, to bring on your laughter, as sweet as a song”, a quote from the Fathers’ song. The main idea of the story is to teach students about how spending quality time with your family can be fun. This was a really great story about a father and sons' bonding day. This fiction story lists things a father and son can do while spending a day at the park. I liked how there were rhyming words throughout the story. As the father sang, “and I’ll carry you home in my arms’ warm embrace to show you my love, any time and place.” As a literacy teacher, I would use this story to embrace father-son bonding. If we were discussing holidays, I could even incorporate Father’s Day into the lesson to give the students ideas of what that day would be like if they had never experienced it. The author, Janet Lawler dedicated the story to her husband, “a wonderful new father”. I like the color pattern used in the story it was very bright in contrast and that went perfect with the excitement in the story. The pictures were very detailed.

[Jasmine Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I can lift you and squeeze you and fly all day long, to bring on your laughter, as sweet as a song”, a quote from the Fathers’ song. The main idea of the story is to teach students about how spending quality time with your family can be fun. This was a really great story about a father and son bonding day. This fiction story lists things a father and son can do while spending a day at the park. I liked how there were rhyming words throughout the story. As the father sang, “and I’ll carry you home in my arms’ warm embrace to show you my love, any time and place.” As a literacy teacher, I would use this story to embrace father-son bonding. If we were discussing holidays, I could even incorporate Father’s Day into the lesson to give the students ideas of what that day would be like if they had never experienced it. The author, Janet Lawler dedicated the story to her husband, “a wonderful new father”. I like the color pattern used in the story it was very bright in contrast and that went perfect with the excitement in the story. The pictures were very detailed.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is about everything that a father and son do throughout the day in the park. This was a really great story about a son and father-bonding day. I liked how there were rhyming words throughout the story. This would be a great tool for any child.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice addition to library shelves, this gentle story of the love between a father and his son is a quiet winner.

[Sephire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a father playing with his son in the park and singing a song of what they can do. It's a nice book.

[Jade Saleem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a book is great for teahcing students about the importance of family.

[Erroll Treslan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 7 year old daughter took great pleasure in singing this one to me.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful father's day book for storytime

[Penelope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely

[Joan Arbogast · Rating 4 out of 5]

A father and son enjoy spending time together.