Daddy Depot
Written by Chana Stiefel
Illustrated by Andy Snair
A Feiwel and Friends Book  5/16/2017
978-1-250-05889-8
36 pages   Ages 2—5

.
Themes:  Father’s Day, Daddies, Choices
Genre:  Children’s Fiction Picture Book, Fantasy

Synopsis

• • • Come to • • •
Daddy
DEPOT
The Dad Megastore!
“From Acrobats to Zookeepers,
we have the perfect dad for you!
Exchange your old dad for a
brand-new one . . . TODAY!

“Lizzie loves her dad, but he tells the same old jokes, falls asleep during story time, and gets distracted by football while Lizzie does her ballet twirls. When she sees an ad for a store called Daddy Depot, she decides to check it out―and finds dads of all kinds! Will Lizzie find the perfect dad?

“Join her on this sweet and silly adventure that celebrates fathers with lots of love.” [INSIDE JACKET]

Opening
“Lizzie loved her dad, but he was always watching football. ‘Dad! Check out my new ballet twirls.’ (Asked Lizzie.)”

“ ‘You’re a star, Lizzie . . . TOUCHDOWN!’ ” (Replied Dad, while lounging on the sofa and cheering on a football team on television.)

Why I like this book
I love the idea of trading in a parent for a new model or upgrade to the latest innovation in daddy-hood. The idea, not the actual trading of my dad for a new one. My dad was perfect (most of the time), and your dad probably is, too.

Lizzie doesn’t really want to trade in dad for a newer model, but what more can she do? He spends an inordinate amount of time in front of the television watching sports programs. My dad was glued to sports on T.V. he would fall asleep, start snoring, and know when you tried to change the channel. “Leave that alone,” he’d growl behind closed eyes.

When he is not doing that, her dad says embarrassing things whenever Lizzie’s friends are over. For example, after a sleepover, dad makes the girls pancakes for breakfast and says embarrassing things about Lizzie, or simply calls her an affectionate, but unknown others nickname.

“Hey, Lizzie-poo. What’s invisible and smells like bananas? A monkey burp! Ha-ha-ha- ha!”

Dad is a typical father who probably works too hard and returns home exhausted. When Lizzie tries to tell him about her moon project, Dad snores in Lizzie’s ear. Not the response Lizzie was hoping to receive.

Lizzie sees an advertisement on her computer screen (darn pop-ups). “Come to Daddy DEPOT, the Dad Megastore!” She plops her snoozing father into a red wagon and pulls him to the Daddy Depot. All the while, dad never moves. His hands intertwined behind his head, he simply snores to the store.

The Daddy Depot is a colossal box store. Still, there is but one tiny door. The parking lot is empty. There is not a car, a person, or another red wagon as far as the eye can see, which is just short of the length of the parking lot. This place is B-I-G!

The details in the illustrations are terrific. Look closely and you might see dad, awake, wondering where his kid is taking off to so fast. Or, you could also be fast asleep and snoring, missing everything. Pay attention!

I love debuts and Daddy Depot is a double-debut: both author Chana Stiefel’s and illustrator Andy Snair’s first picture book.

But . . .
The digital illustrations do not add to the story, choosing instead to follow the author’s words verbatim. I like illustrations that surprise me, ones with their own thoughts and contributions to the story and make readers think and smile at the unexpected. Lizzie seems to look pained regardless of the situation.

Resources/Activities
FOR KIDS
Sunday is Father’s Day, think about what dad you would choose from the Daddy Depot, and draw that daddy. Did you choose your daddy or someone else? Write out your answer as a story. Share if you like.

Draw a terrific picture of your daddy, showing him as you see him. Turn your picture into a MOUSE PAD for your Father’s Day gift.

45 Ways to Show Dad You Love Him

FOR PARENTS/ADULTS
Age-Appropriate Father-Child Activities 

20 Activities for Dads to do with Their Children

Need More Play Ideas? Here are 32 More Ideas

Find more “Perfect Picture Book Friday” reviews at Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog. 

DADDY DEPOT. Text copyright © 2017 by Chana Stiefel. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Andy Snair. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, A Feiwel and Friends Book, New York, NY.

Amazon—Indie Books—Apple Books—Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan

Add DADDY DEPOT to Your Goodreads Shelf 
Interview with Author, Chantal Stiefel

.
Illustrations from DADDY DEPOT by Chana Stiefel copyright © 2017 by Andy Snair. Used with permission from A Feiwel and Friends Book/Macmillan Publishing Group.

.
Copyright © 2017 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

.
Daddy Depot
Written by Chana Stiefel
Illustrated by Andy Snair
A Feiwel and Friends Book 5/16/2017
9781250058898