Telling Dad Jokes w/Jacob Eckeberger

Father’s Day is upon us! And you know what that means! 

Dad jokes! 

And this weeks guest, Jacob Eckeberger, has some doozies. 

Jacob’s book, “My Dad’s Jokes are Very (Terribly, Awfully, Painfully) Bad!”, is a great homage to that most honored of fatherhood traditions: cringeworthy, pun-filled, dad jokes. 

A Fun Book to share with Dad

Not only is this book filled with punny fuel for dad’s joke repertoire, it also highlights the bond between father and child. No matter how bad the dad jokes get, the boy in the book can’t help but laugh. The child’s insistence that one should not laugh at dad’s horrible jokes is adorably familiar and relatable for kids.

Part Dad Joke Book, Part Story

The book maintains a rhyme while spewing dad jokes, which makes it unique. It’s both a rhyming story book and a joke book in one. The modern cartoon style illustrations accompany this unique style well, making Eckeberger’s debut children’s book a standout in the indie children’s book genre. 

Jacob himself is a dad with lots of jokes.

Here’s what he had to say about his family and why jokes were a natural choice for his first book.

“I love books that help create moments with my kids, especially if they can get all of us laughing with each other. So when I was preparing to write my first children’s book, I knew I wanted to frame it as an invitation to a moment—a chance to laugh and create an important relational connection between us. 

At the same time, dad jokes are built into my DNA. Some people inherit wealth and fame. I received a deep love of dad jokes. The punnier the better. But to me, the magic of the dad joke isn’t whether or not it’s actually funny, it’s in the tension it creates in the room. The eye-rolls, the groans, the embarrassment my family feels while I’m pulling out my favorites with friends or strangers. Dad jokes create this fascinating love/hate response, and I adore it. Also, it helps that 1 out of every 10 jokes actually does get a small giggle from my family. When they start to giggle, I know I can always build that into a hearty laugh with my kids. 

So, I wanted to find a way to combine those two things—an invitation to a moment and that love/hate relationship that so many kids have with their dad’s jokes.”

So what is Jacob’s favorite dad joke?

“My favorite right now is… 

‘What does C.S. Lewis keep in his wardrobe?‘

‘Narnia business! Stay out of his stuff!’ ”

Jacob opened up about finding the humor in his own dad’s jokes.

“His shtick is all about repetition. He’ll repeat the same joke to the same people 100 times, and somehow, it actually does get funnier. Each time he repeats a joke, the eye-rolls get more exaggerated, the groans get a bit louder, and all of that is a part of his humor. It’s annoying, but in a way that does make you chuckle. I love it.”

He also talked a little about what it is like being an independent children’s author.

“On the business side, it has been trying to figure out all the practical pieces of self-publishing and promoting. It feels like there are a million questions to answer and I’m honestly not sure many of my answers to those questions are great, but hopefully they are “good enough”. I’m someone who builds the plane while I fly it. I’m not a perfectionist, and I don’t have to figure out all the details before I jump in. I just need to believe in it enough to genuinely care about it. That belief keeps me invested as I answer each new question that pops up. 

At the same time, thinking through the business side of it all has given me an opportunity to seek out new relationships and new communities. You can’t do any of it on your own, and that creates an amazing opportunity to connect with and learn from others. 

So, while the business of it all can be overwhelming, I’ve also found a lot of joy in uncovering the really great work that others are doing in this space and learning from them along the way.”

How can you get in touch with Jacob and stay up to date on books and more? 

“The best place is https://mydadsbadjokes.com. You can find all the things there, and you can use the contact button if you want to share a joke, a favorite book, or anything else with me directly. I’d love to connect.”

The book is available on Amazon and on Kindle Unlimited.*

Looking for more Father’s Day fun?

Check out our Free Printable Father’s Day Dad Lib Cards. They are a fun take on mad libs for Father’s Day and you can color them in yourself while filling in the blanks for extra fun!

Find out more about how to get this fun free printable here!

*Any time you purchase something from Amazon through a Book Badger link, you help us continue to provide you with fun free content that promotes independent children’s authors, so thank you.