My Father Knows the Names of Things

My Father Knows the Names of Things by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Stephane Jorish.
There aren't that many good dad picturebooks for older kids. Toddlers, yes there's quite a few of the "I love my daddy" variety (including Sebastien Braun's gorgeously tender books) but for older kids? Nope. Now, we have an excellent one. Jane Yolen's simple rhyming text accompanies Jorish's sparkling colors and energetic art to extol all the many things a child's dad knows, from the names of clouds to "which dinosaurs are meanest." Don't just pull this out on Father's Day, bring it out all year to enjoy. I'm looking forward to having the kids guess at the names of things in the illustrations....how many will they know? And how many can they make up?
ISBN: show more 978-1416948957; Published April 2010 by Simon & Schuster; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates show less

This was a very sweet story about a little boy telling the reader that his dad knows just about everything and he tells us this through simply rhymes. He know the names of fish, dogs, cheese and he knows all the human bones, as well as which mosses are the fuzziest or which insect is the buzziest. On each page the pictures show the father and son bonding together and learning together. Growing up, I thought my father knew everything and I loved to ask him questions. I loved how the pictures were over exaggerated and the insects where large with big smiles on their faces or when the son was asking about dogs there were a bunch of dogs on the page of all different shapes and sizes. I feel like the main idea of this story is that no matter show more what you can ask your father questions about anything. Near the end of the story the reader can see that the boy is getting tired because his father is carrying him, the story ends with the father putting his son to bed and the son stating 'he points out everything we see and teachers all the names to me.' It shows the love between a father and son show less

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 and watercolor, follow the boy and his father all over the world, from snorkeling under the sea to flying through the clouds in an airplane. The imaginative illustrations show the wonder of discovering and exploring the world.

Full Review at show more Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/05/book-140-my-father-knows-names-of.ht... show less

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.

The theme of this book is the role of a father in his son's life.This book is about a boy who adores his father and believes that his father knows everything. He says everything they see his father points them out and knows a lot about them. It is very important for the young children to have a role model. This book shows that a boy's role model could be his dad and that if he asks him a lot of questions his dad would know the answers.

Child/father relationship where father teaches child about the natural world through many experiences.

Ages: 4-7
Source: Pierce County Library, UP Branch.