A Baby's Guide to Surviving Dad

December 15, 2015
A hapless, hipster dad bumbles his way through new fatherhood in this title. Less a children's book than one that will be given to expectant and new fathers, the book opens with the lines, "You are a baby. / Like it or not, you need others to survive." Facing pages feature pictures of a big-eyed baby clad in a diaper who looks dubious about this dependency on these "others." Ensuing pages use words and pictures to poke fun at a bearded, bespectacled, knit-hat- and Chucks-wearing new dad. The baby needs "to teach him a thing or two" about diaper changes, feeding, playtime, bathtime, and sleepy time. Cartoon art with a vintage aesthetic lends Mr. Mom-brand humor to the different scenarios, with the baby making messes and placing demands on Dad, who diligently strives to keep up with his little one. The book predictably ends with Dad rocking baby to sleep, but then a page turn shows baby winking at readers and Dad nodding off instead. Even though this ending suggests that baby is in charge, this remains a title aimed more at adults who need a laugh to survive parenthood than at children who need to endure said parents' mistakes. A gift book for new dads that trades on old dad-humor. (Picture book. 6 mos.-2)

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