Dad and Me in the Morning

By Patricia Lakin and Robert G. Steele

A deaf boy and his father share an early morning adventure.

Early one morning, a young boy wakes to the light of his alarm clock. He puts on his hearing aids and clothes, then goes to wake his father. Together they brave the cold as they walk down the dirt road that leads to the beach. Lakin's understated story reminds readers that sometimes the best way to communicate doesn't involve words, while Steele’s watercolor illustrations show that beauty is never far away.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Release date: Jan 1, 1994
• ISBN: 9780807593851

Patricia Lakin

Patricia Lakin, a former elementary school teacher and an award-winning author, has written more than fifty published works. Her books, both fiction and nonfiction, span multiple age groups—from toddlers to middle graders. Patricia lives in New York City with her husband, Lee Koenigsberg. They have two grown sons, Aaron and Benjahmin. When not reading, writing, or researching, she can be found traveling with Lee to far-off places in the world.

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Reviews for Dad and Me in the Morning

[ebrossette · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Our unnamed protagonist spends the morning watching the sunrise along the beach with his father. What readers do know is that our main character is deaf/ hard-of-hearing. The protagonist communicates with his dad by lip-reading, signing, and speaking. I liked that all three were incorporated since not all d/Deaf people sign, and not all d/Deaf people read lips.

[jmistret · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jacob, a young boy with a hearing disability, dreams of seeing the sunrise. The story begins with him waking up to his special alarm clock, putting on his hearing aids, and waking his dad. Although he cannot hear, he can communicate in many ways such as: signing, lip reading, and even squeezing his dads hand. As Jacob and his dad walk to the perfect spot on the beach to make his dream come true, Jacob is able to smell the pine trees, see a bunny, and splash in the water. When the time finally comes, Jacob is in awe. He never imagined something so beautiful. Jacob is perfectly able to see and hear the sunrise just as anyone else, which I find to be pretty amazing.

[rhigginbotham-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A young boy who is hearing impaired tells the story of him waking up with his daddy and going to see the sun rise. Along the way they communicate via sign language and lip reading. A cute story to read to young students, especially if there is someone who is deaf in the classroom.

[rjones34 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary:
Dad and Me in the Morning tells the story of a young boy who is deaf and the bond he has with his father. The father and son wake up early in the morning to watch the sun rise as they communicate through sign language, lip reading, and squeezing each other's hands.

Review: "Dad and Me in the Morning" is a great story and gave good details that helped me visualize the story. Due to the young boy being deaf, the author showcased the many forms of communication between the father and son including their own personal form of communication where they squeezed each other's hands. This gave the reader an insight into their bond.

[aleciadesselle · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A sweet story about a young boy who is deaf watching the sunrise with his father. Without the subtle clues it's not obvious the child is deaf...which I found to be sort of refreshing. It shows the child with exceptionalities is like any child just with special needs.

[madams21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book because of its theme. It is all about the special bond between a father and his son and stealing quite moments to create special memories. I liked how the book used language to create feeling. At the end of the book it talked about the warm feeling of the sun on the boys face as he snuggle against his father to give the feeling of the boys warm love for his father. The boy in the story was also hearing impaired and it talked about all the different ways that the boy and his father communicated. Through signing and lip reading, facial gestures or just squeezing each other’s hand. This book is great for children with disabilities to see themselves in a story and to inform others that even though they have a disability there are always ways to communicate.

[jewolf-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is great book to show children that you can experience the beautiful things in life, dispite a disability that you may have. Such a sweet story between father and son. A very sweet and touching story.

[aalkurd-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was so touching! I love the bond that the father and son shared. Sunrise is such a beautiful thing.

[lmhudson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The illustrations in this book are amazing. I love how the author uses senses other than hearing to describe Jacob and his father's experience of watching the sun rise.

[barrettolivia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little boy is deaf and wakes up extra early to view the beautiful sunrise with his father. The text used detailed descriptions on the little boys senses, such as what he saw, smelled, felt. I like how they used a father, rather than the usual mother. The details that the text used to describe how the boy saw things, not using his hearing, gave a helpful perspective take on the point of the little boy, and would also hopefully help younger readers understand what it is like to be able not to hear.

The illustrations in the book are very colorful and appropriate to the story. The pictures show us how his sight more strongly applied to his day to day experiences. When he finally witnesses the sunrise, the page explodes with a burst of orange, it is almost like the sunrise is literally on the page!

[janee23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jacob is deaf but Patricia Lakin takes the reader on a journey that sees inky the beauty in Jacob's life. Jacob and his dad wakes up early one morning to go to the beach. Jacob describes the calmness of the ocean and the warmth if the morning sun. Patricia Lakin shows the beauty in Jacob's disability and does not focus on his his lost of hearing.

[edeidrich · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a touching story about a young boy's first time seeing a sunrise with his father. Every part of the story is injected with subtleties which shed light on how the young child operated with out the ability to hear, such as the using the squeezing of the hand as a way for the father and son to communicate. While the story's focus is on the sharing of a special moment between loved ones, the underlying aspect of being deaf adds to the tale a very unique perspective on the world.

[mdonley_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A touching story of a boy and his father and their special time together. The boy, who is deaf, and his father quietly sneak out of the house one morning and trek through the woods until they come to a clearing. They sit and wait for the sunrise, an experience they had not shared before. A sweet look at the simple things in life that really mean alot.