My dad's the coolest. . .

PROVO — Lots of the coolest, funniest dads live in Utah Valley.

Or so say their kids.

"My dad is a funny guy," wrote Jimena Romo. "He really loves pie. . . . He laughs at all my jokes, though some are not that funny."

And, believe it or not, the kids appreciate it when their dads provide a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. At least that's what many of the children in DeAnn Brown's fourth-grade class at Rock Canyon Elementary School said when the Deseret Morning News asked Brown to have her students write about their dads for Father's Day. She took the task to heart and had her students write an outline and a first and second draft.

Here are some of their responses:

"My dad is terrific! He does a lot of things for my family. For example, he provided our house, food, furniture and clothes for us," said McKenzie Murray. "Another thing about my dad is that he's very funny. He jokes about things in a nice way."

"My dad is really funny. He likes to joke around a lot. Sometimes when he burps he just calls out the name of the person next to him," said Brecken Larkin.

"My dad is a funny guy. He is a really nice man to be around and he can make really funny voices," said Anna Brown.

Dads are athletic.

"He almost never yells at me and he plays with me Uno and tennis. We go swimming. . . . I remember when I was little and I got hurt. Both of my knees started bleeding, so he went and bought hydrogen peroxide and Band-aids," said Mariana Pellecer.

"My dad is special because he is nice, fun, playful, funny, cool, smart and he loves me," said Kade McCann. "My dad was in the Navy so he got to fly planes, and he's also a very good cook. But I like him most because he's athletic."

"My dad also plays with me like tennis, swimming, soccer and passing the football around," said Emily Christensen.

Fishing, hiking, boarding and skiing are all sports Christopher Wilkinson does with his dad. But a standout memory is the trip to Hawaii the family took when Christopher turned 6. "(T)here was a cliff that people jumped off that was about 30 feet tall. There were lots of surfs and tidal waves."

"He is fun to play with. Me and him tackle sometimes. I love to play with my dad," said Christian Smith.

"When I don't feel good he cheers me up with a game of catch," said Chase Andrus.