Hardcover: 24 pages
Publisher: Two Lions (2010)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0-7614-5713-8
SRP: $12.99
Ages 3-8
Rating:

I spotted Hero Dad in a TV ad for the Wounded Warriors Project. The strong cover illustration and title treatment jumped out as a little girl read the book to her military dad, forever changed by the wounds he experienced in war. I decided to track down the book and check it out.

A little later I discovered there’s a companion book too, Hero Mom, although I haven’t seen a copy of that one yet.

In Hero Dad, a young boy explains why his dad is his superhero–even though he doesn’t have rocket-propelled boots, X-ray vision, or a cloak that makes him invisible. Instead, this dad wears Army boots, night-vision goggles, and camouflage.

Author Melinda Hardin, working for a US Department of Defense Dependent School in Germany, saw that children can encounter struggles when a parent is in the military.

Her book aims to provide some understanding and comfort, especially to young children. (Although judging from online reviews, older readers find value in the book too.)

I love the simplicity of the text and art and how well they work together. Bryan Langdo’s illustrations help children picture their dads’ work and service. Even more, children will see that someone understands their experiences and emotions while dad is deployed and when he comes home.

Some caveats: One illustration shows dad and two other soldiers with their rifles, with the right-hand page close in on one of the guns. I’m not sure I like that emphasis, given the gun-craziness around us every day. But the illustration could easily be a good jumping-off place for family discussions.

Also, Hero Dad doesn’t directly address less concrete reasons military dads are heroes, such as courage, willingness to sacrifice, and patriotism, which older children can begin to appreciate. And it’s not written as a Christian book, so don’t look for prayers or Bible verses.

But for giving younger children in army families a sense of what dad does when he’s away and how happy he is to come home, Hero Dad is a winner. It would be great to see similar books for all branches of military service.

DIANE