This article originally appeared in the July-August 1999 Children's Advocate newsmagazine, published by Action Alliance for Children.
Fathers are heroes, men whom children idolize and struggle to imitate.
Fathers are family, men whom children depend on to make them feel safe and loved. Fathers play all of these roles and many others in life and in literature. In these books, children cherish their fathers' stories that teach them about their past, making them laugh and making them think. They also look up to their fathers, asking questions and trying their best to be more like them. The Barefoot Book of Father and Son Tales and The Abbeville Anthology of Father and Daughter Tales , retold by Josephine Evetts-Secher, illustrated by Helen Cann.