Dad and Me in the Morning Critical Review

Dad and Me in the Morning
Source: Lakin, Patricia. Dad and Me in the Morning. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman Company, 1994.

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In the book, Dad and Me in the Morning, by Patricia Lakin, a little boy and his father wake up early to watch the sunrise. He is awakened by his special alarm clock and he puts on his hearing aids and wakes up his dad. They go to watch the sunrise and on the way they communicate with each other many different ways. They communicate through signing, lip reading, or just by squeezing each other’s hands. It is a story about a close father and son relationship and the bond that they share.
One great thing about this book is that there is no disability that is actually stated. It is assumed that the small child has a hearing impairment because he wears hearing aids and he communicates with his father by either signing, touching, or reading his lips. The implication that the boy has a “special alarm clock” just shows that it is an alarm clock that is different from others and so it must be an assistive technology used for his hearing impairment. We are able to read many different clues in the book that lead us to believe that this boy has a hearing impairment. Lakin begins the story as the little boy says, “My special alarm clock flashed…I slid out of bed, put on my hearing aids and my clothes, and took my flashlight.” (Lakin, p.1) On the next page the little boy says, “I flicked on my flashlight so I could read his lips.” (Lakin, p.2) On the next page he says, “Dad and I have lots of ways of talking to each other, like signing or lip-reading or just squeezing each other’s hands.” (Lakin, p.3) Lakin also uses the phrases such as, “he signed to me” or “I signed to him”. These things are all indication of the fact that the boy is hearing impaired but we are never formally told of his impairment. I think this is good because the book shows readers that the impairment does not matter to the book and that it is just another detail to the story. It shows that the little boys hearing impairment is not something to focus on. I think that this is important because the little boy is a normal little boy with a hearing impairment and the book does not make him seem as though it is a big deal.
While reading this story, I noticed that it is focused more on the little boy’s relationship with his father and not his hearing impairment as much. I think that this is important in reading this type of literature because as readers we see how putting hearing aids in and waking up to a special alarm clock are normal, everyday things for the young boy. The author did not decide to write “I put on my hearing aids because I am deaf or hearing impaired.” It does not say “I woke up to my special alarm clock because I cannot hear.” It expects the reader to draw the conclusions themselves about the boys hearing impairment and not to focus on it as the main theme of the story. The story centers on the young boys day with his father as they take a walk to watch the sunrise. The important point in the book is that he has a good relationship with his father. They share a special bond as they can sign to each other or read each other’s lips.