Mad at Dad

Small children can be incredibly determined in trying to get their way, to impose their will, to dictate to their elders. Sometimes, dads (and moms) won’t obey their imperious directives, something which can prompt major tantrums that last for hours. Is there any parent or caregiver who hasn’t faced the wrath of a preschooler, red and hot from screaming and crying, stiff-bodied and refusing to move, eat or breathe, filled with destructive energy?

Writer/illustrator Janie Hao seems to know children like this (and perhaps threw a tantrum or two herself, since we were all kids, after all). Parents and caregivers can use Mad at Dad as a teaching tool to tone down unacceptable behaviours. The humour in the watercolour illustrations will make reading it a bonding experience that can erase the negative memories of a tantrum and prompt conversation to remind children that dads (and moms) really do want the best for their children.

Hao begins her simple story at the dinner table, the site of many fights in most families. The little girl doesn’t want to eat what’s put in front of her, and Dad isn’t about to back down. The battle is on. The two-page fold-outs used throughout the book add gravitas to the girl’s plight and allow her anger to be shown in a large way.

The words:

Sometimes my dad makes me SOOO MAD!

are accompanied by bolts of lighting and black and grey clouds racing across the pages. She’s really mad. SLAM! is splashed across an orange page as the thudding door causes bursts of bright yellow to illustrate the level of intensity. The little girl’s frowns and grumpiness come through in a downturned black line of a mouth, scrunched eyebrows and fiery-coloured cheeks.

Because she knows it’s wrong to be so angry, she tries counting, jumping, breathing, etc., but nothing works. She keeps blowing up. Outdoors, the birds in the trees and the innocent frog in the pond nearly jump out of their skins at the force of her shouting.

But kids don’t like to be mad and alone, and the little girl enters the final stage of her tantrum - sadness. Dad, too, is over his anger and uses his fatherly skills to win her back. The scene returns to where it all began, in the kitchen, where the two enjoy a meal together. The little girl chatters and Dad smiles. She helps clean up while he washes the dishes, and the book ends with:

Sometimes my dad is not so bad.

Mad at Dad is book that will make everyone smile, a book that children will demand that their dads (and moms) read again and again. This is one order that should be obeyed.