REVIEW: My Dad Used To Be So Cool by Keith Negley

Published: 5th July 2016

Publisher: Flying Eye Books

Pages: 38

Format: Hardback picture book (borrowed from the library)

RRP: $27.40

4/5 Stars

Keith Negley’s playful and emotional art tells this story of a new father who is no longer the cool guy he once was. He looks back wistfully on his crazy times playing in a band, riding a motorcycle, and getting tattoos. Those days may be behind him, but his young son still thinks he’s the coolest guy in the world.

Keith Negley is an award-winning editorial illustrator with a penchant for emotionally driven illustration. He’s been published in a wide range of major newspapers and national magazines, and is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and New Yorker. He lives in the mountains of Bellingham, Washington, surrounded by rain forests and giant spiders. This is his second book for Flying Eye, following Tough Guys Have Feelings Too!

My Dad Used To Be Cool by Keith Negley is a short and sweet book about a child who is pretty sure his Dad used to be in a rock band, and thus cool.

The child points to a bunch of instruments stored in a closet as his proof that his dad used to be part of a cool rock band; this combined with his tattoos is proof enough to his small mind that his dad was cool once … and is now just a boring old normal dad. He does question this status as a normal dad when his Dad plays on the play equipment and takes him to the ocean, but some bad singing in the car on the way home returns him solidly back into the used-to-be-cool box.

I really enjoyed Negley’s conversational style of narration in this narrative. His narrator is likeable and to the point, and he makes the book feel so warm and family-friendly. It’s the illustrations that steal the show in this book, however, with quirky shapes and bold colours, Negley has made sure that his illustrations pop and draw your attention.  Although the style is simple, he utilises colour and sharp lines and odd shapes incredibly effectively, making it hard to look away.

All in all, My Dad Used To Be Cool is an original picture book that is sure to entertain.

 

To purchase a copy of MY DAD USED TO BE COOL, visit the following online retailers:

Amazon US | Booktopia | Book Depository | Dymocks | Harry Hartog |

 

To learn more about Keith Negley, visit the following social media sites:

Keith Negley Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook