My Two Dads and Me

by Michael Joosten, Izak Zenou (Illustrator)

An adorable board book for the babies and toddlers of gay fathers, featuring a variety of diverse loving families with two dads.

Families with same-sex parents are celebrated in this board book that follows busy dads and their kids throughout their day--eating breakfast, getting dressed, heading out to the park, and settling back in at night with a bubble bath and a good-night lullaby. LGBTQ+ parents and their friends and families will welcome this diverse and cheerful book that reflects their own lives and family makeup. It's an ideal baby-shower and first-birthday gift in a children's book market where gay parents are still greatly underrepresented.

With artwork by acclaimed and much-followed fashion illustrator Izak Zenou, this is a stylish, smart, humorous, family-focused book that will have babies and their two dads giggling as they enjoy it together.

And look for its companion board book, My Two Moms and Me.

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

22 pages, Board book

First published March 26, 2019

About the author

Michael Joosten is a best-selling author and editor whose titles include My Two Moms & Me, My Two Dads & Me, Pride 1 2 3, and Lady Gaga: A Little Golden Book Biography. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety. His first book for adults, The Gay Icon's Guide to Life, will be published in spring 2024. He lives in New York City.

Find him on Instagram @michaeljoostenbooks to learn more about upcoming projects, appearances, and personal book recs.

Reviews

[Patrick Hanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely

What a sweet book with adorable illustrations for kids from all kinds of families. For our daughter, it will be a great way for her to see herself and other families like ours. For other kids, it will be a way to introduce them to families that might not look like theirs.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Michael Joosten is a versatile author, and My Two Dads and Me puts the focus on lifestyle, though with plenty of restraint. What's it like as a child to be raised by a pair of dads instead of a mother and father? This book shows it isn't so different from the conventional arrangement.

Awakening in a crib to two smiling parental figures puts a child's anxiety to rest. The family of three breakfasts together and then goes out shopping for groceries before stopping to play in the city park. A restaurant lunch is followed by creative time at home building with blocks, and a casual supper. Bathtime is silly, useful fun, and heavy eyes drift closed as nighttime welcomes baby back to sleep. A day with family is its own reward.

This book seems meant to celebrate families that have parents in a same-gender relationship, but the message applies to any unusual family. Whatever your setup, you can be a healthy unit by maintaining a firm, supportive environment for your little ones. I'm not sure My Two Dads and Me has enough substance for two and a half stars, but it's a nice, short read to reassure kids that a family outside the norm can still be a great thing.

[Hanna Yost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure if I'm a fan of the dads & child changing from page to page. Might be confusing! The representation is awesome. Always looking for more of these.

[Jessica Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy how children's book such as this one is writing about the LGBTQ+ community. Giving this to a child in the classroom who experiences same sex parents could give them characters to relate to. This is a board book meaning the pages are cardboard and meant for very young children. It takes them through an average day in the lives of this family therefore expressing how it is the exact same as having straight parents. The illustrations of this book show the happiness of the family as well. Even though this is a book aimed at ages 0-3, it is a great book to have in your classroom library so that children understand how normalized same sex marriage is. This could be a great intro book and then finding another one that adds more complexity and words for students in elementary school. I recommend this book to anyone whether or not they are in a same sex marriage. Introducing the LGBTQ+ community at a young age will allow children to grow up more accepting. I highly recommend this book to all families.

[Maiss Lukyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My Two Dads and Me” is a perfect book for children in 1st and 2nd grade. It's a fiction book that shows family. These are some things kids can relate to in those grades and will enjoy and stay interested in the material.

It's especially inspiring to all children who have two dads. This is a story that shows a busy life with two dads. They eat breakfast, go to the farm, go to the park, have playtime, and then come home at night for a bubble bath. This book is also great due to the representation of kids with two dads.

I would choose this book for my classroom library since representation matters and to normalize having two dads. This story shows a lot of positive things kids should know about how much we appreciate our dads and parents. This book also gives many different messages, but the one I truly love is having two dads is twice the love, and family is so important.

[Aron .Peach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love the message that this book and the illustrations within hold for young readers of all ages, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. Although intended for young readers (Pre-K through early elementary) there are many adults who can learn a thing or two from this book. The key theme throughout is family; more specifically that family can take on many forms. This is shown by the illustrations mapping out a new family with each turn of the page, but every family within shares an important commonality- they each have two dads. This can help young students understand that families may look different, talk different, and even be different, yet all families share the same love with one another.

[Amy Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a celebratory, diverse board book, My Two Dads and Me focuses on various families and the different roles that the fathers take in regards to their children.  With watercolor illustrations and a joyous tone, this makes for the perfect board book for young ones who have two dads themselves, or for parents who want to introduce the normalcies of different types of families.  This is so cute, and I'm so looking forward to reading the companion book, My Two Moms and Me.  Definitely worth getting for your young one!

Review cross-listed here!

[Salena Palacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because of the diversity it shows in family structures, The topics for this book are are, love and diversity. This book follows a day in the life of gay fathers and their children, from morning routines to bedtime. This story is appropriate for children ages 2 to 4 years old. In my classroom I would begin by discussing the different types of families and explain that this story displays a family with two fathers. After we would discuss the activities the dads and child do together in the book. Then students would write about their own family structure and we discuss the similarities and differences they notice.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soft four, but still four. Pretty by the numbers book, but Rowan dug it. The illustrations are nice, but a couple seem a touch undercooked or oddly framed and conceptualized. Nothing terribly distracting about it though; doesn't impede the function of the book. Just also doesn't leap off the page in any deeply captivating way either. It does however serve as a good reminder to parents to be engaged in your child's life. And let them be in yours as well. With the daily chores and grind as much a part of things as play. So that's pretty good messaging.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very similar to the one i just reviewed by the same author, called my two moms and me. I first of all love that he included and two dad's version too, and since it is so similar i don't have much else to say. I again really like that it shows the two dads just going through a normal day with their kids, and i think is important that if i had the two moms version i would also have the two dads book in my classroom, which i would. This would be good for 1st to 3rd grade.

[Crystal Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. I chose this book for children who have two of the same sex parents at home.
2. I like this book because they normalize the situation so children wont feel confused or think something is wrong because they have two dads.
3. I would use this book in my future classroom for children who have same sex parents at home to know that they are not the only ones like that and that it is nothing wrong. All that matter is they have parents who love them.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

So amazing! Loved the artwork! This is such a great book to introduce kids to diversity and show them families that may be different from their own, and yet does many of the same things as them. Excellent!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cutesy board book about many children and their two dads. Very hipster!

[Saoirse M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wait a second!! You can have two dads? This is awesome!!

[Kayla Blevins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super adorable. I liked that each drawing was of a different family, though of course they were all hipsters. That’s not a dig; I just thought it was a little funny.

[Megan Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, would make a better picture book.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrations with poor content. Nice but not something I would suggest to purchase.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story told from the point of view of the children of dads. All races and ages are seen. There is a lightheartedness to the tone of the narrator.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book doesn't look like it's meant for toddlers. The illustrations are in the style of fashion sketches.

[Carlton Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Families with two dads and their children.

[Tracy Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for pre-k and family story times

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moment we finished this, Kait asked if there was one about two moms, and of course, there is! I loved the representation.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit jarred by the different dads and children in each image. It tells the story of an ordinary life which is probably very true but not very interesting.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is illustrated by a fashion illustrator and all the dads are vvv conventionally attractive.

[Elizabeth Bench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book. I want to read my baby little books about family so she knows that there are different families out there. And hopefully won't judge.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and simple board book about a child’s daily routines with her two dads.

[Tarn Khare · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh take on a day in a two-dad family. it’s fresh and fun:)

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that is book went thought the normal everyday activities that the family does, it shows that there is no differences when your family dynamic isn’t the same as everyone else’s.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This board book is so nice! Dads and their young children do the usual parent/kid things for the day like play with blocks, take a bath and visit the park. I might be a bit slow on the uptake, but I'd thought it was the same couple and baby for a few pages before I realized that every page is a whole different family. Overall, it's a very nice board book featuring same-sex families. There's one for moms also called My Two Moms and Me.