Happy Father's Day!

Fathers may be stepparents, foster parents, male relatives or close male friends. The key is that the child recognizes these individuals or "father figures" as being important to his/her life. By taking on more child-related tasks, fathers are impacting their children intellectually, socially and even physically. Children bond with their fathers from an early age. Studies show that newborns are more likely to turn their heads toward their father's voice than that of a stranger.

Here are some great books that have a father/child theme that you can enjoy with a child! Find them at your local library or book store!

Reading with Dad

Written by Richard Jorgensen

Illustrated by Warren Hanson

Waldman House Press, 2000: ISBN 0931674417

Reading together is a constant through the years in the relationship between this loving father and daughter.

Dad Mine!

Written by Jane Kemp, Clare Walters

Illustrated by Dawn Apperley

Little, Brown Children's Books, 2003; ISBN 0316738395

Short, sweet verses and whimsical pictures celebrate Dads.

Mister Seahorse

Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2004; ISBN 0399242694

Award-winning author-illustrator Eric Carle creates an undersea world of dads in this effervescent, educational picture book.

Daddy's Lullaby

Written by Tony Bradman

Illustrated by Jason Cockcroft

Simon & Schuster's Children, 2002; ISBN 0689842953

A father takes his baby on a midnight stroll through the house, trying to get the baby to sleep.