Review of “The Dads’ Book” by Michael Heatley

Some Dads learn new parenting skills from television (think The Cosby Show and hopefully not The Family Guy) while others learn from reading books.  With the latter in mind, IncredibleDad.com has embarked on giving Busy Dads (and people looking to buy them books as gifts) concise and relevant reviews of the Dad books out there.  First up, “The Dads’ Book – for the Dad who’s Best at Everything” by Michael Heatley.  Find out if this book makes the grade and get some free Dad tips out of it to boot!

Description:  (From the Scholastic website) Full of humour and practical advice, The Dads’ Book has everything a man needs to know about the art of fatherhood. Inside you’ll find:

• Practical advice on everything from changing diapers to watching the kids to trying to get out of it altogether!
• Words of wisdom and tricks of the trade from actual fathers!
• How-to instructions for becoming the coolest dad on the block, including: Making bows and arrows! Leading camping expeditions! Building a super kite!
• Top-ten lists of bribes, threats, excuses, and ways to get some peace and quiet!
• Funny jokes and anecdotes about the trials and tribulations of fatherhood!

Sample Pages:

Incredible Dad Opinion:  Reading through this book, it struck me as more of a trivia / cute gift to give to a father versus a relevant book with applicable information that a Dad could really use to make a difference.  Would make a decent stocking stuffer and at $10.99 CDN, not that big of an investment.

There are:

-some funny parts (i.e.Tip # 6 on  “How to Avoid Changing a Diaper” – Feign serious illness and Tip # 7 on “Ways to Get Peace and Quiet” – Build an outhouse in the backyard)

-a few useful sections (i.e.  Game # 6 under “Games for Long Car Rides” – All About You; a game where you ask thoughtful questions to each person in the car such as if you had a million dollars, what would you buy and if you could have lunch with any 3 people in the world, who would they be); and

-some touching parts (i.e. Tip # 4 in “Things Fathers Should Know” – I wish I’d treasured the special moments of laughing, wrestling and telling silly stories).

Best aspects of the book:  Nice cover and size, easy read with quick bites of trivia.

Worst aspects of the Book:  Not much meat, done in 30 minutes.

Funniest Cheesy Dad Joke from the Book:  When your child wants something to eat and says , “I’m hungry”, you say,”I’m Germany, pleased to meet you.”

In Summary: Buy it as a nice small gift for a new Dad or as a stocking stuffer because most experienced Dads won’t get a lot out of it.

Overall rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Other Posts That Might Interest You:

1. Review of “Dads Matter” by Bob Hazleton
2. Review of Michael’s Eatery – Ajax
3. Review of “Parenting Is a Contact Sport” by Joanne Stern