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Guest post from Holly Watson

My step dad came from an impoverished family. Because he made working and family a priority, he was never able to finish high school or go to college. However, he was a voracious reader. One of my earliest memories is of him reading to me as I took a bath. I remember sitting in the tepid bathwater and listening to him read Little House in the Big Woods. At the end of the first chapter, he laid the book down with a smile. I eagerly asked him to continue, and he responded that, if I wanted to know what happened next, I would have to read the book for myself.

That was all the encouragement I needed. I was in second grade by then and knew how to read pretty well, and I struggled through Laura’s stories of growing up in Wisconsin. After that, I became obsessed with reading. I read the Little House books, most of the Narnia series, and a child’s version of Pilgrim’s Progress. Anytime I would complain that I was bored, he would pack me and my sisters into the car, drive the short distance to the library, and turn us loose. Most of my childhood memories involve reading.

Education was a priority to my father, and he tried to convey that importance to us. Even our family vacations centered around historical tourist attractions , museums and other thought provoking sites. After I graduated high school, I didn’t go to college. I knew my parents were struggling financially, and I didn’t want to stress them with worries about tuition. However, I had an empty feeling as I watched my friends and classmates go off to their chosen schools. My father must have sensed this, because he sat me down and asked what I intended to do with my life. I just shrugged my shoulders.

He didn’t say anything then, but a few days later, he got a second job, doing janitorial work at an office building in the evenings. I started working and tried to forget my disappointment. When spring came, my father asked me again what I wanted to do with my life. I murmured something about working, but this time he cut me off. He asked if I wanted to go to college, and I hesitantly said yes. He then handed me brochures for the local community college and walked away.

With trepidation, I applied and was accepted. When I told my parents, they both beamed and told me they would help me out in any way possible. My father had put his education aside to help his mother and siblings, and he was now going to send his daughter to college; this made him happier than I had ever seen him.

Being a first generation college student was extremely difficult. I had no one to guide me through decisions or share stories of their own struggles, but I had my mother and father loving and supporting me in every way that they could. The day I walked the aisle for my AA in English, my father was there, glowing with pride and bragging about his college graduate daughter. When I graduated with my BA in Literature and Creative Writing, he was nearly giddy with excitement. Throughout the five years it took me to accomplish these achievements, my father worked three jobs so that I could focus on my studies.

Now, I am in graduate school studying Literature, and I know I wouldn’t be here were it not for the groundwor

Daddy’s Heroes: Unforgettable Sports Moments to Share With Children by Tom Garcia and Karun Naga (Illustrated by Jenifer Donnelly)

Review by Chris Singer

About the authors:

Tom Garcia was born in Salamanca, Mexico in 1973 and grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  He is an attorney and co-author of the Daddy’s Heroes children’s books series. Tom co-founded Daddy’s Heroes, Inc. in 2006 with Karun Naga in an effort to help parents share unforgettable sports moments with their children.  The concept for Daddy’s Heroes was inspired by Tom’s nightly bedtime routine with his young son, where he would share his passion for baseball by recounting his favorite moments in baseball history. Tom and his wife, Emily, live in Santa Barbara, California with their two children, Jack and Enna.

Karun Naga was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1975 and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and East Lansing, Michigan.  He is an entrepreneur and co-author of the Daddy’s Heroes children’s books series. Karun, an avid sports fan and former college baseball player, co-founded Daddy’s Heroes, Inc. in 2006 with Tom Garcia in an effort to help parents share unforgettable sports moments with their children.  Karun’s drive behind Daddy’s Heroes is fueled by his own enthusiasm for sharing his most cherished sports memories with his children and by the potential for making story time a more rewarding experience for millions of sports fans and their children. Karun and his wife, Haritha, live in Palo Alto, California with their twins, Arathi and Kushal, and dog Friday.

About the illustrator:

Jenifer Donnelly was born in Warren, Ohio and raised in Michigan and Pennsylvania. She graduated from LaRoche College, Pittsburgh, with a degree in Graphic Design. Her work experience includes design and fine art for many different clients, such as printers, advertising and design studios, magazine publications and government agencies. She embraced the changes in the graphics and printing industry during the evolution of desktop publishing. When not illustrating for Daddy’s Heroes, she is found creating fine art, working in watercolor, pastel, pencil, and oil. Jenifer lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with her husband and two teenage daughters, who still enjoy reading a good picture book.

About the series:

The goal of the Daddy’s Heroes book series is to foster stronger bonds between sports fans and their children. Retelling these unforgettable, historical sports moments will not only build these bonds, but will also help parents introduce their favorite sports to their children.

My take on the books:

Most of you may have seen the article posted earlier this week on Huffington Post: 50 Books Every Child Should Read. Like all lists such as this, it’s mostly subjective though I’m sure there’s ones listed which might be universally accepted as must reads for children.

I would also keep in mind that this list was compiled from the perspective of a few notable English authors and Independent columnists. A list from a Canadian or American perspective would be different I’m sure. You’re welcome Dr. Seuss

With all that said, I’m interested to hear what are some must-read children’s books you think should be included in a Top 50 list?

I don’t normally do a week-in-review post but this past week was such a celebration of literacy (with Share A Story and World Read Aloud Day), I wanted to highlight some things as well as thank a bunch of people for helping make it a great week.

First off, if you didn’t get a chance to check out Share A Story please visit when you have the opportunity. Thanks to Terry Doherty for helping organize this amazing blog tour. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the posts as well as having the opportunity to serve as one of the hosts.

Thanks also to Dawn Little of Links to Literacy for hosting Book Dads on Day 2: The Gift of Reading. I had so many responses from dads for our post, I had to break them up into three separate ones: Dads Share Their Story Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Thanks to all the dads, authors and bloggers who took the time to share their gift of reading with me.

I’d also like to thank Danielle from There’s A Book for hosting Book Dads on Day 3: Literacy 2.0. This might have been my favorite day of posts. I couldn’t believe the number of resources people shared, and have been waiting for an opportunity to visit those links. Here is our post for that day: Unwrapping Literacy 2.0: The Color Nook with Toddlers.

World Read Aloud Day was on Wednesday. Check out their appearance on Good Morning America.