My Dad Thinks He’s Funny
Written by Katrina Germein
Illustrated by Tom Jellett
My Dad Thinks He’s Funny is a delightfully sarcastic book that almost any kid can relate to. For any child who has a parent whose first response to a complaint about a sore finger or foot is “just chop it off,” this book will provide plenty of giggles and eye rolling. Katrina Germein perfectly captures the silly ways that many dads have of showing their love and humor. This book is a fantastic read aloud for a third grade class; it encourages skills in fluency and inflection to give more meaning to the text. This book seems like a natural fit in a unit about families or toward the end of year when students are thinking about Fathers’ Day. Teachers may have students fashion a card or gift for dads in a way that echoes the format of My Dad Thinks He’s Funny: recording an example of how their dads demonstrate certain traits or qualities. This book is a lovely gift for a special man at Father’s Day, bringing unity to the giver and receiver.
As an art extension activity for this book, students may create illustrations in the same style as Tom Jellett. His multi-media illustrations are a unique combination of simple drawings and real materials. Students may start with easy combinations like markers and colored chalks on paper, or more advanced artists may move to combining these and raw materials like fabric and natural elements. To bring art and literacy together, students may even write and illustrate their own book! Whether for home or class, My Dad Thinks He’s Funny is a great addition to a book collection.
Title: My Dad Thinks He’s Funny- Author: Katrina Germein
- Illustrator: Tom Jellett
- Publisher: Candlewick Press
- Reviewer: Sharon Schulte
- Hardback, 32 pages
- ISBN: 978-0761461807
- Genre: fiction/fathers
- Lexile: 620