One sunny morning, Susie had a special plan. She wanted to make Father’s Day perfect for her dad. “Who’s there?” Dad asked when he heard a knock. “It’s Susie, and I’m taking you out for a perfect Father’s Day!” she said with excitement.
Susie decided they should start with lunch. “Good,” Dad said. “May I drive?” “Certainly,” Susie replied. As they waved goodbye, Mom wished them a fun day. Susie picked a place with Dad’s favorite food. “This is your favorite, isn’t it, Dad?” she asked. “Sure is,” Dad smiled. “May I pay?” “Certainly,” Susie giggled.
After lunch, Susie had another idea. “Let’s go to the duck pond. You like feeding the ducks, don’t you, Dad?” “Sure do,” Dad said. “May I buy the duck food?” “Certainly,” Susie agreed. They had fun feeding the ducks and watching them waddle around.
Next, Susie suggested a trip to the park. “You like the park, don’t you, Dad?” she asked. “Of course,” Dad replied. Susie asked if he liked the swings, monkey bars, and merry-go-round. “I like them all,” Dad laughed. They played and had a great time.
“Do you want a balloon, Dad?” Susie asked. “Red balloons are my favorites,” Dad said. He bought a red one for Susie and a blue one for Mom. “Are you having a good Father’s Day?” Susie asked. Dad smiled, “Perfect, but let’s go home now. Mom will be waiting. Will you hold the balloons while I drive?” “Certainly,” Susie said.
When they got home, Mom had a surprise cake ready. “It’s chocolate with chocolate frosting and yellow writing,” Susie whispered. “It says ‘Happy Father’s Day’ and has four yellow candles, one for every year you’ve been my dad.” “I like surprises,” Dad said happily.
Mom wore her prettiest t-shirt with sparkles, and the table was set with the cake. Dad gave Mom a kiss and the blue balloon. “What a surprise!” Dad exclaimed. “I like chocolate too,” he added, blowing out the candles and cutting a big piece of cake for everyone.
“We did all Dad’s favorite things and went to all his favorite places,” Susie told Mom. “It has been a perfect Father’s Day.” “Perfect,” Dad agreed. “May I have a hug?” “Certainly,” Susie said, wrapping her arms around Dad.
Create a Father’s Day Adventure Map: Draw a map of Susie and Dad’s adventure. Include all the places they visited, like the restaurant, duck pond, and park. Use different colors for each location and draw little pictures to represent the activities they did there. Share your map with your family and talk about your favorite part of the adventure.
Plan Your Own Special Day: Think about someone special in your life, like a parent or grandparent. Plan a day filled with their favorite activities, just like Susie did for her dad. Write down the activities and draw pictures of what you would do together. Share your plan with your class or family and see if you can make it happen!
Observation and Sharing: Next time you go out with your family, pay attention to their favorite things, like Susie did. What are their favorite foods, places, or activities? Write down or draw what you notice. Share your observations with your family and ask them about their favorite parts of the day.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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**A Perfect Father’s Day**
By Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Susan Madock
“Who’s there?”
“It’s Susie, and I’m taking you out for a perfect Father’s Day,” Susie said.
“First, we’ll go for lunch.”
“Good,” Dad said. “May I drive?”
“Certainly,” Susie said.
“Have a good time,” Mom called as they waved goodbye.
Susie chose where they’d eat. “This is your favorite food, isn’t it, Dad?” she asked.
“Sure is,” Dad said. “May I pay?”
“Certainly,” Susie said.
“I think we’ll go to the duck pond after lunch,” Susie said. “You like to feed the ducks, don’t you, Dad?”
“Sure do,” Dad said. “May I buy the duck food?”
“Certainly,” Susie said.
“And I think we’ll go to the park after that. You like the park, don’t you, Dad?”
“Of course,” Dad said.
“Do you like the swings?” Susie asked.
“Do you like the monkey bars? Do you like the merry-go-round?”
“I like them all,” Dad said.
“Do you want a balloon, Dad?” Susie asked.
“Red balloons are my favorites.”
Dad bought a red one for Susie and a blue one to bring home to Mom.
“Are you having a good Father’s Day so far?” Susie asked.
Dad smiled. “Perfect, but I think we should go home now. Mom will be waiting. Will you hold the balloons while I drive?”
“Certainly,” Susie said.
Dad closed the car window so the balloons wouldn’t float away, and so Susie wouldn’t float away either.
“Mom has a special cake for you,” Susie whispered.
“It’s chocolate with chocolate frosting and yellow writing, and it says ‘Happy Father’s Day.’ There are four yellow candles, one for every year you’ve been my dad. It’s a surprise.”
“I like surprises,” Dad said.
Mom was wearing the prettiest t-shirt, the one with the sparkles that Dad liked. The prettiest cloth was on the table, along with the cake. Dad gave Mom a kiss and the blue balloon.
“My goodness,” he said. “That cake’s chocolate, and it has chocolate frosting and yellow writing, and it says ‘Happy Father’s Day.’ There are four yellow candles, one for every year I’ve been Susie’s dad.”
“What a surprise!”
“Dad likes surprises,” Susie told Mom.
“I like chocolate too,” Dad said, and he blew out the candles and cut a big piece of cake for each of them.
“We did all Dad’s favorite things and went to all his favorite places,” Susie told Mom. “It has been a perfect Father’s Day so far.”
“Perfect,” Dad said.
“May I have a hug?”
“Certainly,” Susie said.
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[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
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This version removes any unnecessary or repetitive elements while maintaining the essence of the story.
