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When Daddy Was A Little Boy (2000)

by Alexander Raskin(Favorite Author)

4.64 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0714702366 (ISBN13: 9780714702360)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

review 1: This is the book my dad read me when I was a little girl, along with the stories of his own boyhood. And then I re-read more than once myself. The original book belonged to my youngest uncle and it was a hand-me-down book which I have still kept preciously preserved, I have also scanned and made a pdf copy of the almost 50 year old original book to give to my family and friends to read. The story of little daddy or 'Baba' in Bangla never failed to amuse me as a child. How he was being mean and possessive with his bright new ball, and how that eventually taught him a lesson on how to share to the time he first went to school, and the bullies and the mishaps there. The most fascinating story is probably the one where he decides what to be in life when he grows up. I simply l... moreoved this book as a child because Baba was clumsy and dorky and funny. But as I grew up I realized how Raskin conveys the more serious aspects of life and growing up as a good person through the mishaps and anecdotes of his own childhood and that with a rather amusing ease, which makes me appreciate the book even more.
review 2: Overall, this is a pretty average kid's book. I've read FAR better. This is a translation of a Russian book (which I don't remember if I read or not as a child, but I think I did) and the translation itself was pretty poorly done. The vocabulary used was awkward and I could tell that the translator was sitting there with her dictionary rather than just knowing the English language. Moving past the technicalities like translations, the stories themselves were very short and not always amusing. I'm sure the author had a great deal of fun reminiscing, but fictional children are much more entertaining to read about than real ones, especially as they try to impart a lesson on the reader.The only reason I'd recommend this translated version of the book to anyone is to show the differences in culture and what is considered a proper lesson for children. This book mentions topics that wouldn't ordinarily come up in American children's books. Spanking, for example, is mentioned as a just punishment and is used liberally. Calling a child "stupid" or an "idiot" is commonplace. These things weren't considered abuse or even inappropriate in Russia in the late 80s. The building of self esteem wasn't a concern and modern American parenting and teaching practices would be gaped at in that particular culture at that particular time. There is one chapter in particular where "little Daddy" doesn't like to eat bread and throws it on the floor. Aaaand the entire world comes crashing down on him. Because in Russia (again, in the late 80s, not sure about now) mistreatment of bread was pretty much a sin. An entire country doesn't hunger for years, losing millions of people to starvation, and come away from it treating food as if it's a god-given right that will never run out. People who'd lived through WWII and lost family during that time revered bread, the entire country revered it, and we were all taught that bread is life and should be treated respectfully. No macaroni art, no rolling it into little balls and playing marbles. You eat it and you say thank you and don't waste a crumb.So, obviously this book isn't for American audiences, but I find the contrasts with American children's lit interesting and the book a simple and humorous glimpse into the Russian culture. less

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