The Zero Dads Club

by Angel Adeyoha, Aubrey Williams (Illustrator)

It's Father's Day craft time in Akilah and Kai's class, but they don't have dads! So, they hatch a plan to create a special club. It's for all the kids in their grade who don't have a dad, but want to celebrate other family members instead. See what they make in The Zero Dads Club!

Genres: Picture Books, LGBT, Family, Fiction, Childrens

28 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay, dark-skinned kids! (And really all 5 kids are kids of color, and one is in a wheelchair.) And the way Akilah is drawn in that first page reminded of me of Lilo (from the movie Lilo and Stitch). I also appreciated that the story jumps right in -- none of this, "One day, Akilah's teacher told the class they were going to learn to paint a tie as a Father's Day gift..."

The art is a subtle cut paper style, and I enjoyed that we also get the kids' art (and that their imagination is depicted in that same child-style drawing as their actual artwork).

So much great representation of family formations that have zero dads! The long-haired Black mom who takes the kids to monster truck rallies! The butch Baba who's "kinda like a girl but kinda like a boy. Baba says she's a butch." The kid who lives with his Abuela and his Tia [which should have an accent over the "i" :/ ] and whose "family is so smart we talk in two languages" and whose Abuela yells at the fútbol matches on tv! "My Ma is a really good Ma and I don't hardly miss when she was my Papa because she's really the same person even though she's my Ma now." (This might have been when I started to get teary.)

(The title made me think of "The Dead Dads Club" from a Grey's Anatomy episode, which threw me a little at the beginning.)

[Danni Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful new offering from the Flamingo Rampant press! This one features a group of first graders who come together to celebrate all sorts of "zero dads" family configurations, as well as different cultural and ethnic family customs that those families might have. I think a lot of kids would be really happy to experience this book, regardless of how many dads they have, but it would certainly be a good choice for a kid who is having a hard time or feeling left out because they don't have a dad and their friends do.

[Jaie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lesbian Baba, this book holds special meaning in our family. While the kids are describing their different (no dad) families, one character says "I live with my Mama and my Baba. My Baba is kinda like a girl but kinda like a boy."

[FM Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good one. It's very much ABOUT difference, rather than one of those stories where the differences between characters are mentioned but incidental. But it does a good job of showing and celebrating the many different types of families who might have no dad without coming from a place of missing out. It's not a riveting story, so my 3 year old wasn't that interested in it, but I feel like it's a good addition to a library or family collection in a context without a male parent figure. Also shows kids taking initiatives to make this group come together and doing some light self advocacy in class (to a completely supportive teacher) which is cool. Good for discussion when the topic of Fathers Day comes up.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing representation! Kids being kids, on a good day, including everyone!

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, gorgeous collage illustrations mixed with drawings that the kid characters are doing! And full of brown and black kids! And this is hella-queer and alternative families: 2 moms, a butch mom, a trans mom, an abuela and tia, single moms!



It's a little short on plot and narrative: the story is the kids forming a "zero dads club" at school cause they all don't have dads to make cards for for father's day. Then they all talk about who their parents are and ... that's it. That said, I can't imagine how affirming this would be for kids with these kind of parents!

Check out Flamingo Press: http://www.flamingorampant.com/!

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice way to remind children that there are many different configurations of families. There are children who do not have dads, there are children who have no moms. There are families where the adults my be a grandparent or aunt or multiple moms. In this story, it is about to be fathers day and the children figure out a way to support each other and celebrate their families even though they initially felt left out.

[Mills College Library]

Picture A233z 2015

[AbsentLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challenges gender bias without becoming preachy or political. A Great addition to our picture book collection. Love the diversity of the characters in illustrations too!

[Romelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book celebrating diversity in the family.