View source for Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada by Jimmy Fallon and Miguel Ordonez

{{infobox2
|title=Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada
|author=Jimmy Fallon and Miguel Ordonez
|reviewer=Sam Tyler
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A simple book all about a group of fathers trying to persuade their child to say Dada.  With its fun imagery and straight forward story it appeals to a young baby, but for how long?
|rating=3
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Maybe
|pages=32
|publisher=Hodder Children's Books
|date=May 2016
|isbn=9781444931433
|website=
|video=
|aznuk=144493144X
|aznus=144493144X
|cover=144493144X
}}

What will your baby's first word be?  If it is up to the father, the answer is Dada.  Every time Mum has her back turned Dad is repeating the word Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada.  This secret war has waged for centuries and Jimmy Fallon and Miguel Ordonez have put it to paper.  Do you want to know what my children's first word was?  Dada, of course.  I win!

Animals of all sorts want to be recognised as the Father.  Follow a series of them trying to persuade their offspring to say Dada.  However, I say Dada, you say … Oink.  Will any of the baby animals say the right words, or are all these fathers cursed to live in a house full of oinks, baas and neighs?

''Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada'' is an extremely simple premise, told extremely simply.  The book is a series of double page spreads; one side has the Father animal saying Dada, the other side has the baby saying it wrong.  Rinse and repeat until you have covered several animals.  A basic book does not have to be bad, some of the best books for babies are only a few words as they help your child to understand what is happening and become involved.  Even with this in mind ''Dada'' is a little bit much.  Two words per page means that you flip through the book at super speed.

Something that could be gleaned from the book is learning the animal noises.  Although the fathers say the same thing, their children do make the noises they should.  Your baby will start to pick up what noise a cow or duck makes.  However, there are many better books out there with a little more content that can entertain the adult as well as teach a child animal noises.

With Jimmy Fallon's concept being paper thin it is really up to the illustrator Miguel Ordonez to give the book some charm.  His drawings are as basic as the idea, but are cute.  He is able to portray some of the frustration that the adults have and the final page with all the animals at once is a fun page.   

A saving grace for the book could be the format in which you purchase it.  The large hardback is just too big and it emphasises the simplicity of the book and makes it feel empty.  However, it is also available in board form, which would be a far better option as you can use it as a first book for a baby.  The concept of simple books that teach basic language is not new, but most will talk about colours, numbers or opposites.  By having Dada as every second word it really limits the learning possibilities – unless you really want your child to say Dada.  

There are better father appreciation books available including the sweet [[I Love My Daddy by Jonathan Litton and Fhiona Galloway]] and [[Amazing Daddy by Rachel Bright]].

{{amazontext|amazon=144493144X}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=1444931431}}

{{commenthead}}
[[Category:Jimmy Fallon]]
[[Category:Miguel Ordonez]]