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My Father Knows the Names of Things
by
My father knows the names of things. . . . And teaches all the names to me. From each bird that sings, to every kind of cloud, to all of the planets, the father in this story knows the names of them all--and takes the time to impart his knowledge to his child. As they walk together outside, the father points out which mosses are the fuzziest and which insects are the buzzi
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Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
April 27th 2010
by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
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This is a lovely tale of a boy who adores his father. His father identifies many objects, in the book the son appears to be telling the reader all of the things his father has taught him. From large to small, his father knows it all.
Excellent illustrations!
THREE STARS.
Excellent illustrations!
THREE STARS.

Mar 20, 2020
Relyn
rated it
it was amazing
Recommended to Relyn by:
I have loved Jane Yolen for years.
What a loving, tender tribute to Jane Yolen's husband. She wrote it in memory of her children's father, but it never feels saccharine or sad. Just celebratory. I'd love to be the person who knows the names of things, too.
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A love letter to fathers everywhere, this book celebrates the knowledge and guidance that fathers share with their children like the names of animals and seven words for blue. This would make a special read aloud for fathers and their children or launch a discussion about what we learn from our parents.

My Father Knows the Names of Things is a book based off a little boy explaining that his father knows the names of everything they see. This could be to the kinds of clouds to the planets and more. The son is constantly exploring and learning due to his dad. This text is fictional but also told with rhyming. I enjoyed reading this book because of the rhyming. I think rhyming is something that can attract early readers to, especially when they are learning about rhyming. The illustrations follow
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Simple rhyming text explaining how a son looks up to his dad and thinks he knows everything. I found the illustrations distracting and I think it would have really enhanced the story to give us the names of a few dinosaurs or bugs or clouds or colors instead of just saying 'Dad knows the names of 7 different kinds of blue.' A decent, but not outstanding choice for a father or family themed story time.
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A lovely tribute to Dads and all those things they just know!

Apr 21, 2019
Nancy Kotkin
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
poetry-children,
pub-ss-childrens,
pb-poetry,
asian,
2019-reads,
picture-books,
2019-pb,
stars-4,
diversity
A poetic ode to fathers. Modern illustrations with some unexpected elements enhance the text.

May 21, 2019
The Campbell Family
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
1000-books-before-kindergarten-adam
The illustrations in this book are top notch! Very colorful and engaging. The text is perfect. This would make an excellent gift for a new dad, or for father's day from a child.
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I bought this book for Jim for Father's Day when Christopher was a baby I think. We've read it many times over the years, and now finally Christopher was able to read it to me. It's a poetic story about a boy and his father and all the things his father teaches him. It's simple and sweet, and the illustrations are very whimsical and adorable.
http://www.momsradius.com/2017/08/juv... ...more
http://www.momsradius.com/2017/08/juv... ...more

This delightful new picture book illustrates a whimsical poem by the widely acclaimed children’s author Jane Yolen. A little boy tells the reader how “My father knows the names of things”—not only the names of birds, dogs, and cheese, but “which mosses are the fuzziest…which insects are the buzziest.” Not only does he know so many things, “he points out everything we see and teaches all the names to me.”
This is a wonderful book for a Father’s Day present or for a Father’s Day story time. It dep ...more
This is a wonderful book for a Father’s Day present or for a Father’s Day story time. It dep ...more

Yolen, J. (2010). My father knows the names of things. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division.
"My Father Knows the Names of Things" by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Stephane Jorisch is a very delightful book about a young book and his father. The boy sees his father as the best father out there because he knows the names of so many different things. The book goes through illustrations of what the father knows from dogs, to planets to which dinosaurs are the meanest. The boy a ...more
"My Father Knows the Names of Things" by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Stephane Jorisch is a very delightful book about a young book and his father. The boy sees his father as the best father out there because he knows the names of so many different things. The book goes through illustrations of what the father knows from dogs, to planets to which dinosaurs are the meanest. The boy a ...more

Raiding the shelves of the library, I spotted My Father Knows the Names of Things by Jane Yolen. I think it was the airplane on the cover that caught my eye, or the title brought back memories of my childhood.
This is a fun book for any child who looks up to their father. Written in rhyme, it has a fantastic rhythm to the text as a child talks about all the things his father knows about, from flowers to bees to clouds. It brought back memories of my dad telling me about the trees and teaching us ...more
This is a fun book for any child who looks up to their father. Written in rhyme, it has a fantastic rhythm to the text as a child talks about all the things his father knows about, from flowers to bees to clouds. It brought back memories of my dad telling me about the trees and teaching us ...more

With a colorful airplane on the cover, this book welcomes you to the world of a father and son. The father knows all sorts of facts. He knows the names of each and every thing from birds to dogs to cheese to bells. He knows facts about things like which beetles are smallest and which mosses are fuzziest. His son follows merrily after him, soaking up the knowledge of his father. A great book for Father’s Day.
Yolen’s poem is clever, silly and great fun to read. It’s couplets are merry and jaunty. ...more
Yolen’s poem is clever, silly and great fun to read. It’s couplets are merry and jaunty. ...more

The boy in this book has the best father. He knows the names of things, from dogs and planets, clouds and cats, to seven words that all mean blue and which dinosaurs are the meanest. And as father and son explore the world, “He points out everything we see / And teaches all the names to me.”
The text in this book is short and sweet, with just a hint of rhyming to keep things rolling. Yolen has chosen her words with care, so that there’s not syllable out of place. The illustrations, done in ink a ...more
The text in this book is short and sweet, with just a hint of rhyming to keep things rolling. Yolen has chosen her words with care, so that there’s not syllable out of place. The illustrations, done in ink a ...more

Jul 03, 2014
Carolyn Hart
added it
A happy celebration of the relationship between a boy and his father. It is clear that the pair enjoys spending time together and they have fun adventures – flying in a small airplane, snorkeling, riding bikes, painting and studying insects. All the while, the boy is learning from his father.
My father knows the names of things,
Each different sort of bell that rings,
And stones,
And knows the names of planets,
Stars,
And even human bones.
Mr. Jorisch’s joyful illustrations capture emotions and the the ...more
My father knows the names of things,
Each different sort of bell that rings,
And stones,
And knows the names of planets,
Stars,
And even human bones.
Mr. Jorisch’s joyful illustrations capture emotions and the the ...more

Paying tribute to great fathers everywhere, this picture book uses rhyming examples to show how much one father knows and how he passes that knowledge down to his child. Whether the two are walking through a meadow, tiptoeing over stones, examining bugs, greeting cats, or choosing candies, the two clearly enjoy their time together. While they're learning about the little things such as how to feed a bird, they're also learning about the bigger things. The watercolor, gouache, pen, and ink illust
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This book is about a little boy who says that his father knows the names of most things. It is about a little boy that looks up to his father. This book is best suited for kids ages four through eight or in preschool to fourth grade. This book's themes are family, father-child relationship, and adventure. The genre of this book is realistic fiction. I gave this book four stars because it reminded me of when I was little and my father knew everything. It is a cute book that I think kids will enjo
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How refreshing to come across a book about a father and a son who are so deeply engaged in the educational process! I loved reading this book to my kids. I think that this book showed the wonderful connection that a dad had with his son. These two went on amazing adventures and the learning never stopped. I loved the illustrations and the content variety. There were so many great avenues presented that I could take with my kids as a result of what was in the book. Excellent!

This is the kind of picture book I like to see about dads - one that's actually from the kid's point of view. The rhyme is nice and has a bit of variety (you don't feel like you sound like a metronome when reading it aloud). In the midst of some goopier books about fathers, this book is one the kids would want to read again curled up on Dad's lap.
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Written in verse, this is a tribute to a father who teaches his child all that he knows by sharing the names of things he encounters. It's a fairly simple story, with a fairly simple point, and I like it. It has an inconsistent rhyme scheme, but a fairly consistent meter. The illustrations are simple and child-friendly with a nice mixture of color and detail. It's a pleasant read.
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A great tribute to fathers, and like other reviewers, I loved the final sentence: “he points out everything we see and teaches all the names to me.”
It seemed to highlight the relationship between father and child, and while the child is impressed with the knowledge of his father, he ends with being grateful for the interaction even more than just having a smart dad.
It seemed to highlight the relationship between father and child, and while the child is impressed with the knowledge of his father, he ends with being grateful for the interaction even more than just having a smart dad.

A simple book about dads and how they share their knowledge with their children. It's corny that I did and even cornier that I'm admitting that the other night I teared-up as I read the story to my boys since I know how wonderful my husband is as a father. Yes, VERY corny!
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This is definition a father and son book, which is going into my child's book collection. I believe that the connection between the boy and his father makes this book special because the boy is surely proud of this dad. The pictures are bright and colorful and the words are easy to read.
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The meaning behind this book was a special one, time spend between a Dad and a child. The dad teaches the child with things around him. But the actual story there wasn't one... wasn't really even lines from a poem. It was a little boring to myself and my 3 year old granddaughter.
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Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachuset
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