Cross a bridge of alligators and lollipops, braid the tangled hair of a ferocious lion, rescue a blue and gold baby dragon from cruel slavery…isn’t this the stuff that a kid’s dreams are made of?
Before I started reading books to myself, my dad was reading them out loud to me. My Father’s Dragon was a clear favorite from my childhood, but not just because the story was awesome and imaginative and the perfect dose of adventure for my little heart.
It was my favorite because I read it with my dad. Now, maybe it’s because the words “my father” are actually in the title, and also because we have photos of my dad reading books to me but, to be honest, I still think that the words “my father” in the title refer to my dad himself.
If you are planning to have kids, or already have them, please please please read books out loud to your munchkins. Getting to snuggle up with your parents in your pijamas and close your eyes and imagine the world that they tell you about is such a precious gift to give them, and it costs nothing but your time.
This book became more precious to me over the years because I had difficulty with relating or feeling close to my father during most of high school and college, and the book served as a memory of the times when the relationship wasn’t frustrating, but warm and easy.
My Father’s Dragon was an adventure book. I had books on princesses and fairy tales, but I grew up reading the Adventures of Tintin (a childhood collection of my father’s), the Asterix and Obelix collection, and the Chronicles of Narnia, which infused me with my hunger for adventure before I knew it was happening.
I’m glad to say that things have been a lot better and are still getting better and better with my dad. Since my wedding in 2008 when I moved out of my parents’ house and into my husband’s (Yes, you read that right. This old-fashioned girl lived at home till she married), my father and I have been growing into close adult friends.
But he knows that no matter how many accomplishments or responsibilities I have, I still want to be his little girl. It’s a growing process for both of us, learning how to relate and love each other in this season of our lives, but it’s one that I know we share the responsibility for, instead of my younger self’s behavior of blaming him for not putting in all the effort.
My Father’s Dragon is a book that ties me into the adventure I still hope to create in my life and in my fiction and reminds me of the sweet start I had in both books and friendship with one of my favorite people in the whole world: my dad.
If you’ve never read the book, I don’t care how old you are, for goodness sake buy it here or get it at your library. Your inner child will adore you for it.
Do you have a special book from your childhood that links you back to great memories? The books we loved usually were read during a healthy season of life, I’ve found.
