Celebrate the father figures in your life! Whether you call him Dad, Papa, Father, Gramps, Opa, Abuelo, or Maddy—and no matter which pronouns they use—these people are an important part of families.
Check out our stories about dads and father figures:
My Maddy by Gayle E. Pitman, PhD explores what it’s like to have a gender-nonconforming parent from a child’s perspective.
“Most mommies are girls. Most daddies are boys. But lots of parents are like my Maddy.
My Maddy has hazel eyes which are not brown or green. And my Maddy likes sporks because they are not quite a spoon or a fork.
The best things in the world are not one thing or the other. They are something in between and entirely their own.”
Read an excerpt from My Maddy’s Note to Readers here.
Pockets Full of Rocks by Yair Engelberg presents a young daughter’s questions to her depressed father. He offers direct answers and promotes the hope that he will become his old self again. This gentle, hopeful book will help kids cope with a parent’s mental illness.
Read an interview with the author here.
Papa, Daddy, & Riley by Seamus Kirst explores Riley’s experience when one of her schoolmates asks which one of her dads is her real father. It celebrates the special, unique relationships children have with each of their parents and the love that makes a family.
Hear Papa, Daddy, & Riley read aloud here.
Read a piece by Seamus Kirst about the power of inclusion here.
Accordionly: Abuelo and Opa Make Music by Michael Genhart, PhD, tells the story of two musical grandfathers and a boy who uses their shared love of accordions to help them connect, even though they don’t speak the same language. It explores families’ rich cultural diversity and how, while we may be different, we all have much in common as well.
Hear Accordionly read aloud here.
Read a piece Dr. Genhart wrote about writing the book here.
