A Few Good Books for Dads

June 14, 2013 The Book Beast

Just in time for Father’s Day, author John Elder Robison recommends a few unconventional books to help dads become better dads.Why is it that we have hundreds of parenting books for moms or by moms, but almost nothing by and for dads? Is it because we dads already know what to do? Or might it be because we hate having anyone tell us what to do? Either way, if you’re a dad, and if you’re willing and able to read, I’ve put together a list that will travel anywhere, in any and all weather. I offer books with comfort and advice you can rely on from the day your infant son comes home from the hospital to the morning he leaves to join the Foreign Legion. And if you have a daughter, don’t lose heart! She can enjoy all these same things, and when she grows up, she’ll be welcomed in the Legion, the Merchant Marine, and even the circus.

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For the basics of parenthood, there is always The Care and Feeding of Children by Luther Emmett Holt. This book was first published in 1905, but like a fundamentalist sermon, its insights remain fresh and valuable today. Many questions are answered, like: What are the objections to having an infant sleep out of doors? The answer, to the relief of every dad who has been kept up all night by a howling child, is succinct: “There are no real objections.” This book—from an era when people weren’t so cautious and fearful—will give inspiration and succor to any first-time parent. It will give you the courage to put that howling toddler out where he belongs at 3 a.m.—among the coyotes!

When you bring your baby back inside he may enjoy a story or two. Some of my favorites are Where the Wild Things Are; Green Eggs and Ham; Oh, The Places You’ll Go!; and the best one of all, Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things that Go.
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