Tuesday Is Daddy's Day

by Elliot Kreloff

Overview

A charming look at the many forms a happy family can take—whether she's with Mommy at her house, or with Daddy and his partner Harry at their apartment, this little girl always knows she's loved.

The little girl in this story loves her busy routine. Some days Mommy picks her up at school and they walk to her house. Other days, she and Daddy take the bus to the apartment he shares with his partner. She has two rooms, two homes, and one big, loving family. (Even if both her parents make her eat broccoli—yuck!)

But when Mommy comes to pick her up on Tuesday, the little girl gets upset. Tuesday is Daddy's day, and she doesn't like surprises! She wonders and worries and insists change is the worst thing ever. . . . . Until Daddy shows up with the best surprise ever: a new puppy!

Celebrating LGBTQ+ parents, coparents who live apart, and the shared love that keeps families together no matter where they live, Tuesday is Daddy's Day is a sweet story perfect for sharing during Pride month and year-round. With a message about appreciating everything you have and being open to change, paired with bright, kid-friendly illustrations reminiscent of crayon drawings, this is a great title to share with the young readers you love.

Inspired by his own experiences raising his family, best-selling author-illustrator Elliot Kreloff writes from the heart, creating a story that's sure to resonate with readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823448913
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	05/25/2021
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	1,146,454
Product dimensions:	8.79(w) x 11.26(h) x 0.35(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Elliot Kreloff is a best-selling illustrator of picture books, easy readers and board books, some of which he also wrote. His first book with Holiday House was The Luckiest Snowball. Like the father in Tuesday Is Daddy's Day, Elliot is a gay dad who shares parenting responsibilies and joys with the mother of his (now grown) daughter. Elliot lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

05/17/2021

Kreloff follows a long-haired, light brown–skinned child who alternates between the houses of their curly-haired Black mother and round-bodied white father. Daisy, a squiggly blue stuffed puppy, is the child’s constant companion: “on Mondays and Wednesdays, I stay with Mommy. Daisy does too,” and “on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Daisy and I stay with Daddy and Harry,” Daddy’s partner. In spite of the alternating schedule, each home has similarities: both parents make the child “noodles with butter and cheese,” read one bedtime story aloud, and profess their love for the child. But when Mommy arrives at school pickup one Tuesday, citing a surprise in the works, the changed schedule results in an outburst. Kreloff’s grease pencil drawings are rendered in a hand-drawn, childlike style, with fabric collage and soft digital splashes of color providing additional visual appeal. A sweet look at one child’s experience with co-parenting guardians. Back matter includes tips for “when you get a new puppy.” Ages 3–7. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Warmly [conveys] the message that change can be delightful."—The New York Times

"Taking place after a separation has already occurred, the story delightfully normalizes and affirms co-parenting. . . . A welcome mirror for rainbow families." —Kirkus Reviews

"[E]very bright illustration is alive with energy and emotion. Children will be eager to guess what Daddy reveals."—Booklist

"Young listeners will empathize with the narrator's distress over an upset routine. . . . The characters' diversity isn't the point (Mommy and the girl have brown skin; Daddy and Harry are pinkish) but is most welcome."—The Horn Book

"A positive story about shared custody and its possible effects.”—School Library Journal

"Kreloff's grease pencil drawings are rendered in a hand-drawn, childlike style, with fabric collage and soft digital splashes of color providing additional visual appeal. A sweet look at one child's experience with co-parenting guardians. Back matter includes tips for 'when you get a new puppy.'"—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

03/19/2021

K-Gr 2—Children whose parents have shared custody are lucky in a lot of ways and this book begins with our protagonist pointing out some of them. She has two different colored bedrooms with two different kinds of beds. Daddy has a partner, Harry, who lives with him, while Mommy lives alone. The unnamed narrator is loved in both homes and enjoys the time she spends in each, reading and doing things together. She is settled into this reassuring routine until one Tuesday her mother shows up instead of her father. Her routine is shattered and she reacts by having a meltdown, even though a surprise awaits her. "I don't like surprises," she complains. But "Surprise" will be the name of the puppy who finds her in her room, sulking. The art in this book perfectly complements the telling, harking back to a child's crayon drawings but with more consistency and finesse. Pink and blue vignettes help readers pinpoint the location of the action. Mother and daughter are Black, while the father and his partner are white. VERDICT This is a positive story about shared custody and its possible effects. Everyone has had to adapt, especially the child. For libraries looking for more titles on this topic, this is a perfect choice.—Joan Kindig, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA

School Library Journal

2021-03-17
Initially upset about a broken routine, a child gets a special surprise.

A long-haired, brown-skinned child thinks they’re “lucky” because having split parents means two rooms: a pink room at Daddy’s and a blue room at Mommy’s. As the endpapers’ sticker-decorated calendar reveals, the child’s schedule gets a little complicated as they shuffle back and forth among households and school. But wherever they go, they bring Daisy, their blue stuffed dog, with them. Whether with Mommy or with Daddy and his partner Harry, there’s no shortage of fun (and a little yucky broccoli). One Tuesday, the child is supposed to be with Daddy but Mommy shows up at school instead. Mommy says “Daddy had something special to do today.” That makes the child—and Daisy—mad. Where could Daddy be? And what is the special surprise? Using different solid-color backgrounds, Kreloff effectively compares and contrasts the child’s routines at their two homes. The childlike cartoon drawings combine thick pencil lines with collage, making the human figures pop on the page. Taking place after a separation has already occurred, the story delightfully normalizes and affirms co-parenting. Still, the child’s first-person narration and illustrations do tilt a bit in Daddy’s favor. Both Mommy and Daddy have brown skin; Harry presents White. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 39.1% of actual size.)

A welcome mirror for rainbow families. (new puppy instructions) (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews