Daddy Speaks Love

By: Leah Henderson

Narrated by: Leah Henderson

Length: 5 mins

Publisher's summary

A moving tribute to the joy and grounding that fathers bring to their children's lives.

What does a daddy do? From day one, this daddy speaks love to his little one. And along with that love, his words and actions speak many other things, too: like truth, joy, comfort, and pride. Like many dads, he answers a million questions and tries to make sure that days are full of fun adventures, giggles, and hugs. Dads are good at scaring away imaginary monsters, and honest about how to confront the real ones, too. They set an example for the future, speaking out for equality and justice, while sharing lessons from the past. But most of all, daddies encourage their young ones to fight for a better world, with the comfort of knowing their dads are right beside them.

Daddy Speaks Love speaks to that everlasting bond between children and their fathers and is a perfect gift for special occasions including Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, baby showers, and more! 

©2022 Leah Henderson (P)2022 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"This celebration of dads centers on their involvement, open minds, and activism toward a more equitable world. Each spread features a vignette pairing lyrical lines . . . with an artful watercolor painting depicting one of a rich variety of activities dads engage in, such as welcoming a newborn, hiking, nail painting for boys, encouraging resilience, telling stories, identifying role models, and learning about history—in particular the history of systemic racism and activism, adding a hopeful note for a better future. Lewis' realistic paintings feature all kinds of dads, with the vast majority being men of color. . . . Each scene's evocative portraits meaningfully capture the expressions of children and dads, as well as the environment, in stunning detail."—Booklist

"Inspired by six-year-old Gianna Floyd’s words about her father, George Floyd, in the wake of his murder, this picture book centers the loving relationship between fathers and children. Narrating from an unnamed child’s perspective and employing the refrain “Daddy speaks,” Henderson completes the phrase with a range of qualities in turn—love, truth, joy, comfort, learning, and more—using poetic prose. . . . Evocative washes of watercolor by Lewis present realistic portraits of children and parents of varying skin tones participating in indoor and outdoor activities, including hiking in the woods, baking in the kitchen, visiting a museum, and attending a Black Lives Matter rally, effectively depicting a paradigm of fatherhood."—Publishers Weekly