How to Cheer Up Dad

by Fred Koehler

Overview

A hilarious book about parent and child relationships for fans of Ian Falconer and Jon Agee--a perfect gift idea for Father's Day and beyond!

Little Jumbo just can't understand why his dad is having such a bad day. It couldn't be the raisins Little Jumbo spit out at the ceiling or the bath he refused to take--after all, Little Jumbo's dad knew he hated raisins and had already taken a bath that week! Luckily, Little Jumbo is such a thoughtful elephant that he decides to turn his dad's bad day around with some of his--ahem, his dad's--favorite things.

How to Cheer up Dad is a standout debut featuring a charmingly oblivious little elephant with serious pluck and staying power. It turns the parent-child roles upside down is a great book for dads and the kids who make them laugh.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698150560
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/20/2014
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Fred Koehler has a background in advertising and is very excited to make his picture book debut. How to Cheer Up Dad was inspired by a coffee-shop standoff with his then two-year-old son. He sat down afterward, drew two elephants with their trunks pointed at each other, and Little Jumbo was born. Fred lives with his two spirited kids in Lakeland, Florida, where he loves boating, camping, and the great outdoors.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for How to Cheer Up Dad:

• “This debut author-illustrator gets the father-son relationship just right in a story that’s warm and memorable.” —Booklist, starred review

• " Welcome Little Jumbo! We hope we’ll see more of you.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review
 

• “ With its sparkle that’s accessible to both parents and kids, this is poised to join the ranks of Steptoe’s In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall (BCCB 2/98), Mayer’s Just Me and My Dad, and Durand’s Mitchell’s License (BCCB 5/11) as a stellar book for father-and-son sharing. “ - BCCB, starred review

“Don’t save this homage to Dads and their little mischief-makers just for Father’s Day—it can be shared any time of year.” –School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

01/06/2014
A spirited elephant is on a mission to improve his father’s mood—after having sorely tested his patience—in Koehler’s jaunty and smartly constructed debut. Dad’s day starts off badly when he puts raisins in Little Jumbo’s oatmeal. “He should have known what a mess that would make,” reads Koehler’s sly text, as Little Jumbo pea-shoots raisins to the ceiling with his trunk. Things quickly devolve as Little Jumbo’s antics earn him a timeout, but he sets things to rights with supposedly Dad-centric activities (“Since Dad loved dessert, Little Jumbo agreed to share an ice-cream cone”). Koehler’s words adopt the tone of a confident preschooler, while his sweetly scraggly illustrations depict the reality of each scenario with a wink; in an especially nifty moment, the yawning elephant on the cover of “Dad’s favorite story,” The Sleepy Little Elephant, masks Little Jumbo’s own face as they read together. Ample white space, a focused palette, and some quietly show-stopping moments (including a sunset spent fishing on a pier) keep focus on the highly relatable interactions between this father and son pair. Ages 3–5. Agent: Adams Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for How to Cheer Up Dad:

* “This debut author-illustrator gets the father-son relationship just right in a story that’s warm and memorable.” —Booklist, starred review

* " Welcome Little Jumbo! We hope we’ll see more of you.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review
 
* “ With its sparkle that’s accessible to both parents and kids, this is poised to join the ranks of Steptoe’s In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall (BCCB 2/98), Mayer’s Just Me and My Dad, and Durand’s Mitchell’s License (BCCB 5/11) as a stellar book for father-and-son sharing. “ - BCCB, starred review

“Don’t save this homage to Dads and their little mischief-makers just for Father’s Day—it can be shared any time of year.” –School Library Journal

From the Publisher

04/01/2014
PreS—Little Jumbo's Dad is having a bad day. The cereal on the floor, the raisins stuck to the ceiling, and the game of hide-and-seek at bath time are not helping. Little Jumbo spends his time-out thinking of a way to cheer him up. A hug, a game of catch, and some ice cream start to do the trick. The simple, direct sentences provide the facts, but Koehler's digitally rendered pencil and pen drawings tell the real story of Little Jumbo's mischief. The understatement that "At breakfast, Dad put raisins in Little Jumbo's oatmeal./He should have known what a mess that would make" is complemented by pictures of Little Jumbo blowing raisins at the ceiling through his trunk, while "Dad forgot that Little Jumbo did not like wearing his brown overalls" is further clarified by the young elephant running down the street stark naked as Dad chases him with his clothes. Thick, black curving outlines give the elephants life against the angular, straight edges used for the household setting. Color is used sparingly and effectively, drawing attention to Little Jumbo's antics. Don't save this homage to Dads and their little mischief-makers just for Father's Day—it can be shared any time of year.—Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2014-03-17
In Koehler's picture-book debut, Little Jumbo repeatedly tries the patience of his dad but then does his best to make everything better. Before the story starts, readers know that Dad is in for it. The title page shows a slumbering, pajama-clad elephant about to be pounced on by his son, who is already in midair. On the copyright page, Dad rushes to stop the tyke from consuming a spoonful of paste. So readers will understand the opening line: "Little Jumbo's dad was having a bad day." The understated text is paired with the irrepressible son's antics throughout, maintaining a constant level of hilarity. One spread's matter-of-fact text reads, "Dad put raisins in Little Jumbo's oatmeal. / He should have known what a mess that would make." The accompanying illustration depicts spunky and joyous Little Jumbo standing on his chair and peppering the ceiling with a splatter of rejected raisins. Dad has had enough—the two elephants have a standoff trunk to trunk. One timeout later, the young elephant starts trying to change the mood of his father. From a hug to playing catch, sharing a huge ice cream cone, fishing and reading a bedtime story, Little Jumbo sincerely does his best to make up for his behavior—but the final page makes it clear that the challenges will continue tomorrow. Welcome Little Jumbo! We hope we'll see more of you. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews