The common stereotype is that all dads get ties and underwhelming macaroni art for Father's Day, but did you know that Father's Day is one of the biggest book-buying holidays of the year? 12 million books were sold during Father's Day week last year and, according to sales figures, consumers spent $645 million on books and music for Father's Day gifts in 2012. What does that tell you? 1) The necktie industry really needs to step up their game and 2) there's just something about dads and books that goes together nicely.
And that shouldn't be surprising. Because, even though there are studies that argue that dads read to their children less often than moms do, watching a dad read to his children is a magical experience. The kids crawl onto his lap, he clears his throat, and then that big booming voice starts. Maybe the dad does crazy voices and waves his hands. Or maybe he's the kind of dad who just plays up the gravitas of his own voice, thrilling his children with his narration as if they had their own private audience to hear Morgan Freeman read Everybody Poops. No matter what the dad's reading style is, when a father tells a story or introduces his children to one of his favorite books, it creates a real bond between them. It's a special, shared moment, so perhaps that's why so many kids decide to honor their dads on Father's Day with the gift of a book.
Take a look at these images of dads browsing books with their kids (shared as part of the #DadsRead campaign) and try to tell us that these aren't compelling reasons to believe in the magic of dads reading.
So... here are 15 Reasons Why You Should Celebrate Father's Day with a Good Book:
1. Because families that read together are awesome
2. Because the best dads are known to go the extra mile to set the mood when they read
3. Because dads' laps are normally big enough for two
4. Because, yeah, he knows how great the book is too
5. Because dads are great company while reading a nail-biter
6. Because it's never too early to start teaching a kid about baseball
7. Because dad knows how to point out all the best parts
8. Because well-read geeks have to come from somewhere
9. Because dads don't mind when you bring along a stuffed animal Friend
10. Because reading with dad is actually pretty comfortable
11. Because, sometimes, you can sucker dad into reading four books
12. Because dads know how to make you laugh at the funny parts and comfort you when things get sad
13. Because dads learned to read from their fathers, so grandpas are extra-great readers
14. Because grandpas are extra-comfy too
15. Because how can you deny reading to a kid who's this cute?