Where are all the Dads?
Since having a daughter and setting up The Happy Book Club I estimate that I have read at least 800 kids' books. Specifically, books for pre-school children. We really do want to deliver the best packages to our customers so it's all part and parcel of what we do. Not to mention that a lot of them are pretty small. And are lot of them are brilliant.
Anyway, as a Dad, I'm struck by the lack of books that have Dads as prominent characters. Why? And why is this fair?
In a modern society where the roles of parents are shared, why is it that central characters crave their mummies? We Dads love spending time with our little ones too. We play, we read, we feed, we hug, and yet the mums get most of the glory in kids' fiction. If we, as a society, are really up for swapping or blurring gender roles for parents, if dads now really do muck in with the muck, read up on sensory play, cook healthy meals, and take children on play dates, whilst mums also go out and earn a living (or not), then where is this equality represented in modern books?
Now I do indeed recognise that there are Dad books. But, generally, these books have 'Dad' in the title. In other words, to get Dad characters, one has to actively seek them. A quick search for the best Dad books, celebrating Dads, will yield up the following results:
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me
Tyrannosaurus Dad
Just Me and My Dad
I Love My Daddy!
Oh, Daddy!
The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish
Because Your Daddy Loves You
Papa, Do You Love Me?
My Dad
Froggy's Day Out with Dad
My Dad
Daddy KIsses
Me and My Dad
What Dads Can't Do
Dustbin Dad
Just Like Daddy
Clever Daddy
Tell Me One More Thing, Daddy...
Daddy Hugs
Daddy and Me
I Love My Daddy Because...
My Dad is Great
My Daddy Snores
Give Me Back My Dad
Don't get me wrong. These are wonderful, important, funny, engaging books. And there are are more, I'm sure. But that's not the point. My question is: How many books feature dads as the sole parent, whose title does not make this obvious?
Here's another list. This list is a list of books where one would stumble upon Dads as the sole parent.
Guess How Much I Love You
On Our Way Home
Mitchell's License
Can't You Sleep, Little Bear?
Owl Moon
I Love You Just the Way You Are
Without You
Peck Peck Peck
Quiet!
There a probably more. But none that come to mind. As you can see, there aren't that many.
Now compare this with the Mums.
Let's have a look at books, where it's obvious that Mums are the only parent featured.
Mum! The Monsters!
I Love My Mummy
I Love My Mommy
I Love My Mama
My Mum
The Mummy Shop
My Mum has X-Ray Vision
Dino-Mummy
Piglet and Mumma
On Mother's Lap
My Mum's the Best
My Monster Mummy Loves Me So
My Mom
I Love My Mummy Because
If Mom Had Three Arms
Are You My Mother?
Mommy Hugs
Clifford's Happy Mothers' Day
We're Making Breakfast for Mother
My Mum Does the Strangest THing
Mama, Do You Love Me?
Mama's Day
Mommy?
Mummy, You're Special To Me
What Make My Mum Happy
Mummy's Kisses
My Mum's the Best
Dearest Mum
Does a Kangaroo have a Mother Too?
Just Like My Mum
Don't Let the Aliens Get My Marvellous Mum
Spot Loves His Mum
I Want My Mum
I'm Glad You're My Mum
Ladybug Girl and her Mama
My Mum
I Spy Mum!
Mum and Me
Mums
The Mummy Book
Where's My Mum?
Me and My Mum
Magic Mummy
My Mummy and Me
OK, I'm a bit bored now. Needless to say that this is in not exhaustive. There are, in fact hundreds. However, because the title is aptly named, I don't get nearly so disappointed when I don't find a Dad. Indeed, as with the Dad list above, these books are equally necessary and important. More of them, but still, can't complain!
This is what gets my goat. Imagine settling down with your little one to read a lovely looking book (Dads) and innocently finding that, despite the title, the book is exclusively about the relationship between the child and their mother.
Little Mouse
Owl Babies
Share!
Goodnight I Love You
How I Love You
If I Could Keep You Little
The Invisible String
How Do You Know?
Hug
Once There Were Giants
I Love You Stinky Face
Love You Forever
I Love It When You Smile
I Love You the Purplest
I Love You Through and Through
Hush!
Someday
Kiss, Kiss!
The Runaway Bunny
The Kissing Hand
Where's My Cuddle?
Just Like You
Sometimes
Dragon Loves Penguin
A Bit Lost
Love You Forever
Monkey Puzzle
Anna's Book
Home to Me, Home to You
Don't Forget I Love You
Koala Lou
I Love You Because Your You
A Dot in the Snow
A Bit Lost
Where Snowflakes Fall
I'm Special, I'm Me
Ten Little Dinosaurs
Eat Your Peas
Little One
Five Minute's Peace
...and so on. Am I being over-sensitive? Or do I have a point? Maybe I need a bigger sample size to back up my claim? I suspect that maybe there are more mother authors than father authors and so there is indeed a disproportionate mum books for a reason.
I think, if we're to reach equality, we need close to an equal number of books with as many prominent mums as dads. Or, better still, more books that promote family, per se. That is, after all, what The Happy Book Club is about!
In the near future, I'll write a blog about books that promote general family love and activity. And, maybe, just maybe, I'll chill out in the meantime.
If you have an opinion on this subject, do share!
