Book Review: Giggy And Daddy by Richa Jha & Mithala Anand

I am not one to participate in competitions, probably because of the fact that I never win. Like really, do people actually win the lottery?  A few weeks ago, a competition popped up on my newsfeed, I nearly scrolled passed, but a quick glance and I knew I just had to participate!  The competition required us to share the craziest thing my husband has done with my daughter- three best replies would receive a free copy of the Giggy And Daddy, a Fathers Day special. Sharing my response here, but please don’t judge us!
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 My husband did a solo trip to London in the winter with my daughter when she was only 3 years old. He carried a portable jet spray because his biggest concern was taking her to the washroom and cleaning her without this genius invention 😂 sorry for the info!

And I won!

Here’s a little summary of the book:

There’s a story Giggi’s Daddy tells her every day. It’s about a little bit of this and a little bit of that and a whole lot of everything. And it all begins when Giggi wasn’t even born. But does Giggi believe her's daddy's tall tales?

Jha and Anand pair up again after The Manic Panic and create a relatable, feel-good story about the relationship between a father and daughter. Giggy’s daddy loves sharing the story of becoming a father, a totally made-up, over the top one at that! In his version of her birthing story, he attends a “Super School For Daddies” and tells Giggy that she grew in his pocket. One of the spreads shows Daddy with 6 arms changing Giggy’s diaper, feeding her, making her hair and reading her books. He tells Giggy that he would do anything for her, even buy her a dinosaur!

I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband grew a bigger pregnancy belly than me, slept more nights with the newborn than I did and would probably swap day jobs with me in the blink of an eye. He imagines himself to be this larger-than-life, do-it-all, father, with the six hands and all, but then reality strikes and work takes over. He’s out of the house 10 hours a day, six days a week and eventually questions his involvement as a parent.

At the climax of the story, Giggy cracks up at Daddy’s made-up story, he walks away, deflated. Eventually, Giggy tells Daddy her OWN real version of Daddy- the man who lets her do his hair, makes her laugh and teaches to ride a bicycle. And in that, this story becomes timeless, an ode to all fathers and a testament to the fact that a “paternal instinct” is just as valuable as the mothers.

Congratulations to Jha and Anand, their exceptional attention to detail, will leave the reader finding something new with every read!