Good-Bye, Daddy!

My 4-year-old really enjoys this book. It is very gentle in the way it addresses parents' separation, and it emphasizes the positive aspects of the relationship between father and son AND mother and son. It takes pressure off children to relate the story too closely to their own exeprience by describing the relationships between the members of a bear family, not a human family. It gives my son comfort to see that there are "others" in the same situation that he is in, and that they are able to understand and deal with the parents' separation in a positive, matter-of-fact way. It also nicely describes the typical father-son relationship in a way that my son was instantly able to relate to. The illustrations are also very relaxing for him. He really just loves this book, and asks for it at bed time. I definitely would recommend it for small children whose fathers are "Disneyland Dads."

Tom and his bear's story has helped my 3 year old child better understand and cope with her father's visititation schedule. When a Daddy lives out-of-state, it can be difficult for a young child to say good-bye, because they may not be together again for several weeks. This book helped my child to talk about her feelings. She was able to identify with Tom.

The story of Tom quickly became my 4 year old son's favorite bed-time story. Especially following visitation days. It thoughtfully explains the problems that most kids have during and after a divorce, without placing blame on anyone. It also does not give any false hopes about the parents getting back together. The illustrations are beautiful. I highly recommend this book.