Should there be a dad?

[Sandysuave]

I think there should a dad. Dads' have a way of adding color to a thing but much more are the mum's. Dad should be there washing dishes taking care of the baby, while the fun remains.

[Sam Ndawayo]

yeah is good to add Dad so that the story will test salty even though he went out for work

[Mugishaedwin]

That's true there should be a dad. Children should even respect them even though mom and dad get separated or divorced

[joycechitwa]

Interesting that you should ask the question. Indeed there should be a dad, in my view. Granted, there isn't a character explicitly labelled as "mom" but there is a female present that can well be assumed to be his mom. Not so for the character of his dad. A father figure should well feature in the book so that Toni has someone to look up to. This dad should be able to connect with him, play with him and bond with him to bring out balance in Toni's nuclear family.

[dhomespot]

I agree that there could many reasons as to why there was not a dad pointed out in the book. I think most children's books focus little on family and more on what a child can experience or aspire to be. I have a friend that writes children books and her design is to show children that everything they learn when they are small, they can use as they get older to be anything they want to be. So the book may start out as a boy fishing in the small pond, it will also show the same boy dreaming he is fishing in the big ocean. Nary a parent in site.

[dbulkley]

I would’ve liked the dad to be present as well! The norm in today’s society is divorce so it would be nice to make better use of family in novels as Mom and Dad!

[Miercoles]

Having a dad or father figure involved would be great, especially for a story about a young boy. It is important for children to see men taking responsibility and being good role models. Perhaps the author has something planned for a future book in the series.

[Waragu Samuel]

I agree with you that there should be a dad no matter how peripheral he may be. That said, there are some limitations especially in the world today which seems to have embraced single parenthood especially motherhood. Otherwise, the book still remain great without a dad.

[Nanig83006]

I think it's important to show different kinds of families when writing children's books. There are many families with both parents, and single parent, and no parents. Representation matters because all of these situations are normal. We don't know why Toni's dad isn't in the picture. He could be away at work, was never a part of their lives, divorced from mom, or has passed on. But, it is common for kids to grow up with a single parent. I think R.D. Base's story is appropriate by not having dad in the book and will help expand more children's book writers to include other family dynamics like single/widower dads, or adoptive parents, or being raised by a different family member. It's a step in the right direction.

I think, here the author has chosen a realistic approach. It is true that many children grow up with a single parent. So it's not something unusual.

Which was my point. Coming from a single parent home is a norm. What people tend to forget is that moms aren't the only ones who can be a single parent. Dads can be, too. Even a grandparent, aunt, or uncle can become a child's guardian/parent for many reasons. Either way, there doesn't need to be a dad in this book. And, with more books like this one, more authors will write books about more diverse families. That's why this book is great as it is.

[kfwilson6]

I agree that there could many reasons as to why there was not a dad pointed out in the book. I think most children's books focus little on family and more on what a child can experience or aspire to be. I have a friend that writes children books and her design is to show children that everything they learn when they are small, they can use as they get older to be anything they want to be. So the book may start out as a boy fishing in the small pond, it will also show the same boy dreaming he is fishing in the big ocean. Nary a parent in site.

Excellent point, and I think you are right. For all we know, Base just didn't want to show Toni singing alone and never even realized she only included females in the household because she was really focused on what Toni was doing, not so much who he was doing it with.

[revna01]

It would be nice to see a dad, but I also think most children's books seem to center around a traditional family unit and this is a nice change. I would love to see future books with Toni showcasing his interactions and experiences with a variety of people.

[Shahzad1]

Agree there would be the character of dad.......
Because a family is incomplete without dad :techie-studyingbrown:

[tab1234]

Yes dad is more important in this book because a family without dad is more complicated

[Angel Lawrence]

It would honestly be better to have a dad to be in the story! But it's probably that dad is not there for a reason. Many reasons. But overall, the story was just still as great!

[AllyPooh]

I agree a dad should be present in the children's book. The precedent will be set up for child for a "normal lifestyle."