That’s Not Fair by Shinsuke Yoshitake

Wit is infused into every detail of this children’s book that has just as much insight for parents as it does for their precocious kids.

The young girl who grumpily exclaims the title of the book on its cover has had enough. Adults are always getting away with bossing their kids around unfairly, so she’s going to march up to her Daddy and not only make a formal complaint, but also demand answers. Why do adults get to stay up so late after telling their not even sleepy kids to go to bed? Why do they get to order kids into baths? And how come they don’t have to eat food they dislike but kids need to eat all their green peas?

Daddy, who was happily minding his own business reading a book when she barges in, decides to answer her questions, beginning with the first. At night, he claims, Santa Claus’ investigators come to check on whether kids are being good by going to bed on time, a task his daughter has been acing. His daughter, being no dummy, is highly skeptical of this story, and continues to press for answers. Daddy starts making up all sorts of wild stories to answer her other questions, as father and daughter strive, in this roundabout way, to better understand one another. The apple, ofc, does not fall far from the tree when Daddy turns the tables and points out that sometimes kids can be unfair, too.

While some of the humor and tone of the text feels like it perhaps does not translate perfectly from the Japanese to Anglophile Western culture, the illustrations were unfailingly perfect. Tho the line drawings are simple and cartoony, they expressively evoke the gamut of emotions felt by both father and daughter, from grumpiness and frustration to surprise and love. The book overall is a very good starting point to open up conversations between kids and their parents about any perceived injustices in their relationship.

So I was genuinely surprised when I offered this to my kids to read, and my youngest basically told me he couldn’t relate, because he felt that the adults in his life were very fair. Not in so many words, ofc, as we’re still working on his verbal skills, but he kept covering up the “un” in “unfair” while we were reading this together, before he abandoned the book entirely. I can’t tell whether this means I ought to congratulate myself on building a relationship with my kid where he feels seen and respected, or whether I maybe let him get away with too much.

My middle child declined to read this altogether at first, but when I was taking a photo of this for my Instagram, he desperately wanted to get into the photo with me. I told him that he’d have to read the book with me afterwards, which we did with much gusto, taking turns doing the voices. His favorite part was apparently the bit about royalty, as he too is fond of looking after younger kids.

My eldest, a thirteen year-old who definitely has experience telling his parents that we’re being unfair, probably liked the book best of all three kids, especially the part where the daughter tells her dad about her dreams. I was secretly relieved that he didn’t pick the part where the daughter rightfully calls out her dad on being too busy for her while he’s working, tho am also planning on referencing what dad says by way of explanation the next time my kids come clamoring while I’m at my PC. Tho in fairness, I’m almost never too busy to give out hugs and take minor breaks from whatever I’m reading or writing: the benefits of a lifetime working with a scattered, ADD-adjacent brain.

As a gentle way for kids and parents to start a conversation on the authority gap, this is a great, humorous start.

That’s Not Fair by Shinsuke Yoshitake was published August 6 2024 by Chronicle Books and is available from all good booksellers, including