Title: Dad Had Issues
Author: Cynthia Gadson
Illustrator: Maurice Lindsey
Publisher: PageTurner Press and Media
ISBN: 978-1-64908-724-9
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book / Education
Pages: 28
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
Hollywood Book Review
Dad is raising three sons: Yogi, Olson, and Urel – whose initials spell out “YOU.” Dad, who is a strong man, clearly illustrated by his muscular physique, has rules he needs his sons to follow for their own safety; at home, in school, and everywhere. This is the foundation of the behavioral lesson of life in Dad Had Issues by author Cynthia Gadson.
The story continues one day when Dad is going to the gym, and tells his sons not to ride their bike, or cook using the stove, or have friends over while he is gone – and he’ll be back in one hour. Well, as mischief would have it, Yogi goes out on his bike and rides further than he should, where he gets chased and bitten by a dog, then crashes his bike. Olson makes a grilled cheese sandwich on the stove, and while distracted causes a smokey fire by burning the toast. Urel invites his friends over to play video games, and one of them brings a dog which soils the carpet. Oh my gosh – almost one hour has gone by and Dad will be home – and the boy have to clean up everything so Dad doesn’t see it and get mad!
Dad comes home and he is furious at the lack of obedience to the rules that YOU (the boys) have broken, and punishment is in order. What will it be – the belt? This is where the surprise of the theme of this book comes in, and it is very impressionable to the young minds of the readers.
Cynthia Gadson has created a book with a moral, a life’s lesson, and has explained it by example. Along with the illustrations by Maurice Lindsey, the images help drill-in the circumstances of the events to all readers. The resulting effect is to raise up a wrung on the maturity ladder, by having the children reading this story gain the sense of what the right and wrong things to do are – especially when told to obey the rules from their authoritative Dad. They learn the lesson that rules are made to protect YOU – because Dad loves YOU.
This book has questions and talking points at the end designed to open a dialog between the parents and the children; thus, enabling the personal details of readers to be substituted for the structure of the book to better fit their own situations. All in all, it is a lesson told with clever dialog, impressionable illustrations, and with a slant of humor to make children realize that not only Dad Had Issues, but so would Mom if she was the one setting the rules.