Katrina Germein (text) and Tom Jellett (illustrator), My Dad Thinks he’s a Scream, Walker Books Australia, September 2024, 24 pp., RRP $24.99 (hardcover), ISBN 9781760655075
Is your dad a jokester? A kidder? Does he take it too far sometimes? My dad thinks he’s a scream is a classic example of dad jokes in the theme of Halloween. There is very little introduction in this book. The family is briefly introduced, and the anticipation of heading off on Halloween to Trick or Treat is clear, but then it launches straight into dad joke… after dad joke… after dad joke. A warning to parents reading this to their kids: It doesn’t end.
The boy relaying the story is used in an effort to keep the whole schtick of dad’s antics relatable to kids, but the family aspect is kind of drowned out by the unrelenting jokes. I mean, I can understand that any dad who thinks they’re a scream might keep pushing the boundaries just to see the pained look on their kids faces and maybe get a kick out of it. However, it makes it a challenge to read, especially as an older reader relaying the story to younger children. It reads rough, and many children may suspect that the reader is skipping parts of the story. Which they aren’t, it’s just that the jokes and puns come thick and fast with very little to grasp on to follow the story. It’s only through the array of pictures that the reader even understands that they have travelled around Trick or Treating and eventually ended up asleep on the couch.
Perhaps this is the goal of the author, though. My dad thinks he’s a scream is part of a broader series My Dad…, which is apparently a popular series based off of the many kinds of dad jokes and puns. The author has an idea and an intention, obviously. Fun for some kids, I’m sure, but even those enjoying it would certainly need some of the puns explained to them to grasp the whole experience of the story. Which, unless they’re super patient (what five-year-old is?), could leave them uninterested if they have to rely on intervention to enjoy.
Aimed at ages 5+, it might be funny enough to entertain little ones with the accompanying pictures, but older readers may feel under fire from the barrage of one-liners.
Reviewed by Lauren Harcombe
