My Daddy and Me (My Birth to the Big Day)

Carol L. MacKay is a children’s librarian living in Bawlf, Alberta.

Dan Malka describes his first self-published book for children as “a
story about a father and his little girl.” The book follows Emily
through various landmark events in her life, starting with the day of
her birth and proceeding through birthdays, first days of school,
graduation, and marriage. Each event is encapsulated in a single page
and accompanied by what appears to be a young child’s artwork
depicting the occasion. Each special event is concluded in the same
cloying fashion: with a tear of joy trickling down her father’s cheek,
and the phrase “Daddy’s Little Girl You Are, Daddy’s Little Girl
You’ll Always Be.”

My Daddy and Me is simply a collection of fictitious first-person
memories. It fails to engage an audience because it lacks the most basic
elements of good storytelling: a strong storyline with conflict and plot
development, and interesting, well-developed characters. While most
parents will recognize the emotions that Malka is trying to convey, they
will also realize that there are better, more interesting ways, within a
true story context, to convey them.

As a children’s book, My Daddy and Me fails. It is highly unlikely
that children will be drawn into its amateurish text and illustrations.
Not recommended.