View source for Molly and her Dad by Jan Ormerod and Carol Thompson

{{infobox2 
|title= Molly and her Dad
|author= Jan Ormerod and Carol Thompson
|reviewer= Jo Heffer
|genre=For Sharing 
|summary= Sometimes Molly feels a bit sad because she is the only little girl in her class without a daddy at home. Sometimes, in order not to feel left out, she makes up stories about him. However, one day her dad comes to look after her and then she doesn't need to make up stories any more.
|rating=4.5 
|buy= Yes
|borrow= Yes
|pages=32 
|publisher= Little Hare Books
|date= August 2008
|isbn=978-1921272554 
|aznuk=1921272554
|aznus=1921272554
|cover=1921272554
}}

I shared this delightful yet thoughtful story with my five year old daughter and we both really enjoyed it. The central character is a charming little girl called Molly who longs to have her Dad at home just like everyone else at school. Unfortunately, her Dad lives a long way away and as she doesn't know him very well, she tends to make up stories about him. However, all this changes when her dad comes to stay in order to look after her. Although Molly is very excited about this, when he does arrive it takes some time for them to get to know and understand each other.

At first things are awkward and they don't even know what to call each other. Molly doesn't call her Dad anything whereas he keeps on making up silly versions of her name which she hates. He does do some fun things though like cooking pizzas that taste funny and singing silly songs around the house. Best of all though, when Molly takes her Dad to school, she discovers that her Dad tells lots of wonderful stories just like her. All the other children love him and Molly is very proud. By the end of the week she and her Dad have bonded and as he flies of home there is the promise that their relationship will be much closer in future.

I found this story quite moving and it demonstrates very well what it is like for a small child who feels different to everyone else. You really feel for Molly as she desperately tries to fit in and it is most heartwarming to see how she seems to grow when she is with her Dad. It is a thought provoking story and prompted my daughter to ask many questions as we were reading it. I think it would be useful to share with children to help explain why some of their friends don't have Dads at home.

The story is complemented well by the wonderful illustrations of Molly and her Dad. There is a lot to take in through all the pictures and you need to pay attention to these in order to get the full story. This is good because it provides lots of talking points although I have to say that I did find some of the pages a bit too busy. Not only are there lots of details in the pictures but lots of speech bubbles too which means on some pages you are not quite sure what to read first. That's not too much of a problem though and some of these comments from other children are quite funny.

There is a gentle humour running through the book along with a great deal of warmth. Molly is such a sweet child that you do feel like you want to give her a hug and it is lovely the way her relationship with her Dad develops. It's the sort of story that leaves you with a warm feeling in your heart and a smile on your face.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

If this book appeals your child may also enjoy [[If I Were You by Richard Hamilton]] which is another lovely story that explores a father and daughter relationship. For children whose parents are going through divorce, take a look at [[Mum and Dad Glue by Kes Gray and Lee Wildish]].

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[[Category:Jan Ormerod]]
[[Category:Carol Thompson]]

{{comment 
|name=Mary Ann Scheuer 
|verb= said
|comment= Hi Sue - I enjoyed reading your review of Molly and her Dad.  I just read this to a group of preschoolers who enjoyed it as well.

The preschoolers liked the way she discovers what she loves about her dad, and how they can be silly together. It made them think about how much they love their dads, how they like trying on his clothes and being silly with them. I liked the way it shares the story of a little girl whose dad "lives a whole plane ride away."

The kids I read it to had a little trouble understanding why the dad lives so far away, but they understood Molly's feelings - first of apprehension when her dad came to stay with her, and then pride when he told stories to her class, and finally joy with her love for her dad.

It was a great story to share and talk about dads and different family structures.

thanks for a great review -

Mary Ann Scheuer<br>
[http://greatkidbooks.blogspot.com Great Kid Books]
}}