How to Talk to Dads

April 13, 2009
From lighthearted board books to more serious poetry, these selections explore the most important of all relationships.
How to Talk to Dads
Alec Greven
, illus. by Kei Acedera. HarperCollins
, $9.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-06-172930-0

The 10-year-old author of How to Talk to Girls
and, most recently, How to Talk to Moms
, now offers insight on fathers. Chapters include “The Two Sides of Dad” (a good side and a bad side—“It totally depends on his mood and your attitude”); “What Dads Like” (“honest, helpful, good kids”); and “The Power of the Father” (“If you are playing chess, Dad won't go easy on you”). While the dad characteristics aren't universal, with Acedera's understated line art and an attractive design, this is a tailor-made gift. All ages.

July 1, 2009
Written when Greven was nine, these volumes, each padded with Acedera's doodle-like illustrations, are full of obvious and even bad advice ("If you have behavior problems, copy a boy you think is cool"). Greven consistently regards females as one-dimensional chumps: "Girls always like the smart boys." Parents fare little better: "Dads let girls get away with a lot more stuff, except anything to do with dating or boys."

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)