Book picks similar to
Cave Dada by Brandon Reese


picture-books
fathers
picture-book
bedtime

Hello, My Name is Ruby


Philip C. Stead - 2013
     Fearless Ruby's search for adventure, friendship and her place in the world comes to life through acclaimed author/illustrator Philip C. Stead's whimsical illustrations and succinct, charming text.

Peep and Egg: I'm Not Trick-or-Treating


Laura Gehl - 2016
    She wants to visit the duck pond and the cow pasture to get treats. But Egg thinks Halloween is too scary, with frightening monsters possibly lurking everywhere! Peep tells her jokes because laughing helps you feel less scared. Egg is still not cracking. But soon Egg learns that maybe trick-or-treating is not so scary after all when you have a friend to hold on to.

Robo-Sauce


Adam Rubin - 2015
    Here's the story of a magic potion called Robo-Sauce. It's all happy fun times until robots take over and transform this very book, right before your eyes. Get ready for a surprise ending, the likes of which humanity has never seen!

Also an Octopus


Maggie Tokuda-Hall - 2016
    What happens next is up to you! A delightfully meta picture book that will set imaginations soaring.It begins with an octopus who plays the ukulele. Since this is a story, the octopus has to want something—maybe to travel to faraway galaxies in a totally awesome purple spaceship. Then the octopus sets out to build a spaceship out of soda cans, glue, umbrellas, glitter, and waffles. OK, maybe the octopus needs some help, like from an adorable bunny friend, and maybe that bunny turns out to be . . . a rocket scientist? (Probably not.) But could something even more amazing come to pass? Debut author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, with the help of illustrator Benji Davies, sets up an endearingly funny story, then hands the baton to readers, who will be more than primed to take it away.

More More More Said the Baby


Vera B. Williams - 1990
    Williams' Caldecott Honor Book cry out for more more more! The stars of three little love stories - toddlers with nicknames like "Little Pumpkin" - run giggling until they are scooped up by adoring adults to be swung around, kissed, and finally tucked into bed. Quirky watercolor drawings and colorful text feature multiethnic families, and young readers will rejoice in seeing the center of all the attention: the wiggly, chubby, irresistible toddlers.

Tomorrow Most Likely


Dave Eggers - 2019
    Rather than focusing on going to bed—and what kid wants to think about going to bed?—this book explores all of the dreamy, wonderful, strange things the next day might bring.

Off-Limits


Helen Yoon - 2021
    As soon as she sees an opening, she sneaks in to have a look around. After all, there's no harm in just looking, right? What she discovers is a magical wonderland of sticky tape, paper clips that make glorious strands, and a kaleidoscopic array of sticky notes. Who could possibly resist playing with those? In a joyful ode to office supplies, Helen Yoon leads a celebration of just-for-once breaking the rules--and offers a final, funny nod to adults who harbor a similar urge.

Randy, the Badly Drawn Horse


T.L. McBeth - 2020
    L. McBeth's Randy, the Badly Drawn Horse is the hilarious picture book tale of a child's illustrated creation who (never having seen himself) thinks he's extraordinarily beautiful.Randy knows he’s a beautiful horse—everyone says so. From his silky coat to his perfect smile to his very name, reserved only for the most special of creatures, Randy is beyond compare.This laugh-out-loud picture book plays with expectations and takes you inside a child's imaginary world, through construction-paper mountains, popsicle-stick forests, and sandpaper deserts. Readers are sure to fall for this maybe-not-so-beautiful but wholly endearing character.

The Tiny King


Tarō Miura - 2010
    Every day the tiny king eats dinner at his big table (he can never finish it all), rides on his big horse (he is thrown off every time), bathes in his big bath (not much fun), and sleeps, not very well, in his big bed. The tiny king is very sad and lonely, until one day he meets a big princess and asks her to be his queen. Not long after, they are blessed with children — lots of children. Now everything is just the right size, bath time is a real riot, and the tiny king sleeps soundly at last. With bright, bold cutouts and a whimsical use of collage, Japanese artist Taro Miura creates a witty, heartwarming story with huge appeal for readers big and small.

Diary of a BABY Wombat


Jackie French - 2009
    And a perfect wombat story it is, featuring eating, scratching, digging, sleeping, and playing, as well as the important task of finding a new underground home big enough for baby and Mum. Wry, understated humor and gorgeous, funny illustrations make this new picture book a brilliant next chapter in the wombat saga.

Crazy Hair


Neil Gaiman - 2009
    Crazy Hair is a fantastically fun tale written by New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman and illustrated by the astoundingly talented Dave McKean, the award-winning team behind The Wolves in the Walls.In Crazy Hair, Bonnie makes a friend who has hair so wild there's even a jungle inside of it! Bonnie ventures through the crazy hair, but she may need more than a comb to tame her friend's insane mane.

Jampires


Sarah McIntyre - 2014
    A delightful, whimsical, JAM-tastic adventure!The jam has been sucked out of Sam's doughnuts! Who are the culprits? Sam sets a trap to catch the jam thieves and gets a surprise! It's the JAMPIRES: friendly little creatures whose love of jam and sweet things gets them into trouble! They fly off with Sam to their magical land sitting in the clouds, where doughnuts grow on trees, jam tarts sprout like flowers, and castles are made of jammy sponge cake.

My Dad Is Big And Strong, BUT...: A Bedtime Story


Coralie Saudo - 2012
    He wants to play, read stories, even sleep with me, and when he makes his pleading face, I always give in and read him another story. But that’s it, since enough is enough. When it get’s really tough, I tell myself, "Have courage. We’re almost there."A boy’s playful account of trying to put his dad to sleep gives children a delightful heads up on what a pain they can be at bedtime, while affirming the tender bond between father and son.A joyful, sweet, laughter-inducing book that children will clamor to read again and again!Coralie Saudo is a children's book author and illustrator with an altogether terrific sense of humor. She has written over twenty books, many of which she has illustrated. In this volume, her high-spirited text is perfectly matched by the high humor of Kris Di Giacomo's illustrations.Born in Brazil, Kris Di Giacomo is a popular children's book illustrator who has lived in France for a long time. After a brief stint in the United States, she moved to France, where teaching English to young children and discovering French picture books were the triggers that led her into illustration. She has illustrated twenty picture books, a few of which she has written as well.

Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar


Emily MacKenzie - 2014
    In fact, he doesn't just dream about them, he wants to read them ALL THE TIME. Soon his obsession sends him spiralling into a life of crime!A wonderfully funny story from a talented new author/illustrator.

Hammer and Nails


Josh Bledsoe - 2016
    She and her friend are going to play dress up, do each other’s hair, and polish their nails. Daddy has plans, too. He’s going to read the paper, mow the lawn, and fix the fence. When Darcy’s friend cancels and she’s sure her day is ruined, Daddy suggests that they tackle their to-do lists together with a Darcy-Daddy Day. Daddy dons a tutu, and Darcy gives him a fancy hair do. They groom the lawn with Her Majesty’s Mowing Service and face off in a Daddy-directed sock battle. But will Darcy want to hammer? Will Daddy do nails? Stepping outside their comfort zones, Darcy and Daddy opt to be open-minded and even a bit daring. As Daddy says, “Sometimes things you’ve never done end up being fun!” With a gung-ho attitude, Darcy masters the hammer, and Daddy goes for it with the nails.