The Daddy Store

K-Gr 2—An unnamed boy is bored with his father. His dad never wants to buy him expensive toys and never notices when he does acrobatics off the diving board at the pool. The boy's had enough and decides to go to The Daddy Store to exchange his father for a "cooler" model. His new dad is fun at first but ultimately embarrasses him. The boy decides he doesn't want him anymore and goes back to get another one. After going through at least three different dads, he sees a girl trying to take his original dad home. He soon realizes that even though his original father may not be perfect, he's the right one for him. Originally published in Dutch, the text is, on occasion, worded awkwardly ("I myself already have a dad. But he is dumb."). On multiple spreads, the black text is set against a dark blue or purple background, making it barely visible to young readers. The cartoon-style illustrations rely on clichéd examples of masculinity and don't do much service to the story.