It is not “ha-ha funny” but “odd funny” how our mood and relationship with a subject bias how we feel about a book. I was reading two Father’s Day books and was thinking, “This is ICK!” (They are Pet Dad by Elanna Allen and Shopping with Dad by Matt Harvey and Miriam Latimer). After finishing, I took a step back and started to rethink my opinion: Okay, I can see why someone could like them. Yet, they are not my kind of like. My mood was off due to a bad headache and the rain (hence the headache). I have a relationship with my father and that will bias me to how a father should act.
I lean towards liking Pet Dad more than Shopping with Dad, because it has lighter colors. The simple illustrations are not as busy and you can see almost everything in them (though I am wondering about one illustration). The brightness of Shopping made my head ache more. The abstractness of them and busyness of them was too much to handle. There was too much going on to focus. The story of getting a pet dad was more fun. More unique. And both have four of the things I dislike in any book. One: a bratty/misbehaving child. Two: a parent who gives in because of the “hug” or “I love you.” Three: people who blame everyone but themselves for an accident. Four: Once they learn a child was responsible for something the attitude of “oh it’s okay they don’t know better” comes out and the child does not have to be responsible for their actions.
With all that said I do appreciate the hard work that the authors and illustrator put into these books. Other interpretations to the actions of the children is they are children being children and the parents are balancing being a parent and nurturing. In other words, both are very modern themed books. I tend not to gravitate towards more modern themed books.
However, another modern piece of both is the child in the book is female with her dad. Usually father books are father and sons. Therefore, this is a nice twist to a traditional story: the parent/child relationship.