I'd like to wish my wonderful Dad a Happy Father's Day today. I don't really remember it, but I'm told that my Dad read to me a lot when I was very small. Clearly, that took. I do remember him reading us The Night before Christmas
every year. I also remember Sunday afternoon visits with Dad to the Bali Hai, learning to calculate tax in my head at our hardware store, and, when I got a little older, lunches at the 99. My Dad is the most comforting person in the world to be around - he never judges or gets mad - he's just there for you if you need him. Every daughter should be so lucky! Thanks, Dad! Have a Happy Father's Day.
And Happy Father's Day to Mheir's Dad, John, who shows his love by perpetually offering me food (especially Armenian coffee and clementines). And Happy Father's Day to all of my friends and relatives who are fathers, or soon to be fathers. And finally, a special Happy Father's Day to Koko and Raffi, who have given Mheir and I the most wonderful four nieces in the world.
I also wanted to remind you all of a book that I reviewed last month, which I think is a wonderful homage to fathers. Put Susan Taylor Brown's Hugging the Rock
(my review is here) on your list to buy when it comes out this fall. The father in this book is a rock of stability who ultimately shows his daughter that "sometimes dads are better moms than moms are." Considering the way that fathers often get short shrift in children's literature, this is a particularly nice book to read. The father in The Penderwicks
is pretty great, too (review here). But of course none of the fathers in books can match up to the real ones in my life. Happy Father's Day, guys!