In our first holiday episode—well, at least our first episode on a book about a holiday around the same time that the holiday that the book is about falls—anyway here’s our first book about Hanukkah: All about Hanukkah by Judyth Groner and Madeline Wikler, illustrated by Kinny Kreiswirth.

Everything you wanted to know about Hanukkah and so much more! Among other things, David doesn't start at the beginning and eventually figures it out. Mike learns the origin story of a scene that David did with Mike's wife Kim in the 1900s, and even Mike learns a thing or two about the history of Hanukkah despite celebrating for many years with his family.

The ultimate debate is resolved: when it comes to latke toppings (sour cream or applesauce?), the answer is…take a listen.

The episode wraps up with Dad Joke Monday featuring not one, but two Dad Jokes as there are two Dads. So that’s one per dadica. (Latin for “per dad”)

Next week? Our first Christmas episode, well our first one near Christmas.

If you liked this episode, you’ll love our first one about a Christmas book Olivia Helps with Christmas aka Christmas in May.

Peter Mallin

Holidays Begin at Home

Holy carp! this is our 30th episode

and at this moment we have 988 listens!!

Mike and David return to short books—board books even!—with Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, and they are so excited about good and night being two words and the comma in the title!!

The Dads discuss the nods to Goodnight Moon including the ever-present mouse and the ever-present, or almost always ever-present balloon and other mysteries and controversies.

The chat? Mike comes clean, David learns he’s been mispronouncing something for decades. The art? Vibrant palate, beautiful colors and really cool details including nods to children’s literature and even television references.

Check it out.

If you liked this episode, you’ll love:

Goodnight Moon, one of the inspirations of this book.

Good night. Or Good. Day. Or Good Grief, Charlie Brown...

We get to part two of our conversation with My Weird School series (and many many other silly and some not silly books) Dan Gutman. Our surprise guest shows up. Will we find Dr. Carbles? Or his marbles? Take a listen and find out.

Bonus stuff:
Dan’s writing tips for young (and old) aspiring writers:

• Start with “what if?” and add imagination. What if Castro became an Astro?
• Get ‘em with the first sentence.
• Regarding drafts: “pretend to be somebody else while reading what you wrote.“
• Put the draft aside and read it later.

Dan and David try to outdraw each other and we don’t mean in the Jim Paillot way.

We learn what inspired Dan to be a writer (it wasn’t because he wasn’t good enough at baseball, but that didn’t hurt!).

We discover how much he prepared for our book talk —“We start in an hour and—oh crap! We’re gonna talk about Dr. Carbles losing his marbles! Do I even have that? Do I even remember it?!”

And other fun things.

If you liked this episode, you’ll LOVE these:

Dan Gutman is a Nutman, Part 1

The FIRST time Ruby joined us it was the whole episode! El Deafo

Dan’s It’s Halloween, I’m Turning Green!

Rappy the Raptor

Mike and David welcome their first non-daughter guest, Dan Gutman, the nutman, author of the My Weird(er and erestEST...) School Series(esEST?), and the recently released The Picasso Curse and OH SOOO many more.

Dan discusses his “What if” theory of writing (What if Castro became an Astro?, What if Picasso became an Queso) and denies VEHEMENTLY any involvement in the recent Louvre heist.

We discover that Dan Gutman is a Nutman, Mike Walker is a Caulker/ balker, and David Patrick is a HatTrick—sorry, that’s the only rhyme this thyme. Unless you consider Mhyme...

And about the million hundred times Mike heads off to the bathroom? Tune in next week for the conclusion, and a super fantastical surprise.

Looking for an episode we touched on in this one? How about:

Big Words for Little People

or

It's Halloween, I'm Turning Green (with envy after spending a million hundred dollars on a new library card)
another DG WSB

Email Us for a translation of that at- DadsOnBooks@gmail.com , ya know, cuz we're the balm... I mean the bomb

And don't forget to shop all things Dan Gutman:
https://dangutman.com/shop/

And if you want to see the interview, come watch us on YouTube!
https://youtube.com/@dadsonbooks?si=6-KbYHhFuowzbis6

The "Dads on Books" welcomed Lucy Patrick, who selected a copy of the 1947 classic, Good Night Moon. Lucy chose her sticky shredded copy of the book mostly because the mouse is "really cute". The dads, with a lot of help from brilliant Lucy, calculate that it took the little bunny a wopping 70 minutes to finally fall asleep. They debated whether the pages stuck together from "peas and tea", discussed the controversial missing comma in the title, and Lucy notes that the cozy room is a major "fire hazard". In the end, we all agree that parents of young children should retitle the book "Goodnight Moon... and Good Luck."

Looking for an episode we talked about today? How about:
It's Halloween, I'm Turning Green (with envy after spending a million hundred dollars on a new library card)
or
Little House in the Big Woods: the Dads Learn to Smoke a Deer

And if you really need us end an email to- DadsOnBooks@gmail.com

And "always here to bury a lead" Mike says, check us out on our wild and wacky youtube channel at: DadsOnBooks

Another daughter, another series! David’s Sarah and Warrior Cats’s Into the Wild! by Erin “faux” Hunter. Mike reads the wrong book. Again. And is lost. David reads the right book. Again. And is lost. Sarah is not lost and finds the Dads. It’s a wild wonderful world of cat clans and hyphens and blood-beats. This epic tale is so huge that Sarah is currently devouring the 34th book, proving that cat drama truly is endless (and tasty). There’s also a huge dictionary rescued from a sorority house. We like big books, and we cannot lie.

Mike and David return to totally toddler tomes—fewer words, no chapters, and more pictures with one of their favorite and fun authors award-garnering Mo Willems. We're talking about illustrious, illylu—pictures again. SPOILER ALERT—We love the art! So simple, yet so profound with an hint of/ notes of cranberry and sage. And David messes up his animals. Again. Where’s the pigeon?! On his head?
What's up duck?

Looking for an episode we touched on in this one? How about:

Cars and Trucks... and Things That Go and Steve and John

or another of our favorites

Big Words for Little People

Tell us you favorite books and authors in case we forgot the most awesome book ever!
We look forward to hearing from you at:
Email Us- DadsOnBooks@gmail.com
Book of Faces: Dads-On-Books
Instant Grams- dadsonbooks

In the third “Since we are Dads on Books, we have daughters, and they can be Guests!“ episode, Mike’s daughter Ruby joins us with one of her favorite books—it's teacher and school librarian approved!!—and our first graphic novel, El Deafo by CeCe Bell. We touch on a mashup of Little House and the Waltons, a German version of the muppets (DasMuppetz), Grease (🎼tell me more, tell me more! 🎶), and other 70s stuff. We also get a little personal and touching. It’s what we do. Check it out.