My Dad, My Rock

Santos offers a poignant picture of multigenerational fatherhood in this tender tribute. Via first-person narration, a white-skinned child with auburn hair reveals that neither he nor his dad ever met his grandfather, but “if I could meet my grandpa, this is what I would tell him.” The child then offers examples of his dad as “my rock”—a playmate, teacher, comforter, and role model, interspersing Dad’s lessons throughout. (“Even if I cry a river, he is always there to wipe away my tears.... He says some people say real men don’t cry. I think men who don’t cry aren’t real.”) Forlati’s artfully textural illustrations soothe with their soft colors and careful lines, aptly matching the story’s emotional acuity. Final images of the child, grown, partnered, and with children, reveal the way the pair’s bond reverberates through time: “When I grow up, I want to be like my dad.” Ages 4–8. (Self-published)