Dads - how do we even begin to describe how much they matter in this world.
This story is about a boy who has an amazing dad. This story is haunted by the fact that this boy has a grandfather who disappeared from his father's life and now is not present in his own life. Ghosts of dads who were not there.
But this dad knows how to be a dad. He's a fun guy, he's an insightful guy, he's wise enough to let the boy "do it himself" to learn to figure out and to learn that he can do it... whatever it is.
Yes, this dad is the rock, the guy who will be there and who can be counted on and trusted. Trust - a big word in the dad/son world.
This book also feels very much like a book that is written to the wounded boy inside many men who grew up without a dad or grew up without a dad who was truly present for them or capable of being the father they needed so deeply.
A celebration of the importance of good dads at the same time it is a mournful call to the fathers who leave their children in so many ways.
32 pages 9781915590671 Ages 5-10
Keywords: fathers/sons, grandfather, parenting, reassurance, love, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, abandonment, intergenerational, multigenerational
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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Oliver never met his grandpa. He wonders what he would tell Grandpa if the two of them could meet, even once. Oliver decides that he would tell him about an amazing man that Grandpa never met: Oliver's dad, Grandpa's own son. In this touching and heartfelt story, you will be taken on a journey of what it means to be a dad and to be the master of your own destiny.---from the publisher
Meet the author:
Victor D.O. Santos, PhD is an award-winning author, a language-learning expert, and a father to two multilingual and trilingual children. He is best known as the author of the picture book 'What Makes Us Human'. All of Victor's fun and beautifully illustrated children's books serve to show children the importance of respecting one another, believing in their true potential, and of trusting the power of love. My Dad, My Rock is based on Victor's personal family history and the first words in the book were actual words he heard from his son on a starry Saturday night during bedtime reading.
