Bradley Trevor Greive Gives Dad His Due With Dear Dad

Tomorrow is Fathers' Day, that time when we all go out of our way to let our dads know we appreciate them. If you're still scrambling for a little something to show your father how much you care, you could do a lot worse than Dear Dad: Father, Friend and Hero by prolific gift book creator Bradley Trevor Greive.

Since the success of The Blue Day Book, which coupled wise and witty words of inspiration with highly appropriate black-and-white photographs of animals, Greive has churned out the tiny masterpieces. My one complaint with him is that he seems to have a bit of a bias against his own gender; he's always making sarcastic, unflattering remarks about men, particularly in those of his books that are aimed at women. But Greive rectifies that with Dear Dad, which comes after two books dedicated to mothers. At last Pop can have a little time in the spotlight.

In his acknowledgments section, Greive first mentions all the people who requested this book and notes that he was a bit intimidated by the subject matter; it took three years for him to formulate exactly what he wanted to say to his dad. Aiding in inspiration was his editor, whom he often mentions warmly in his introductory notes. Both men, it would seem, have had considerable impact on Greive's development. Thus, it's not much of a stretch to consider this an appropriate book not only to give to one's father but to anyone who has acted as a father figure.

There are many illustrations in this book that deal with seeing, indicating the wonder with which a child views the world and the way a dad can nurture that vision. We have a lion surveying the horizon with wonder, a little llama awakening to a gentle nudge from its father, a pig and its parent peeking up at the sky together. There's the usual array of amusing animal antics illustrating the sorts of childhood foibles fathers have to deal with, from learning to tie one's shoes to being asked to help with housework.

Mostly, there is photo after photo of two animals of the same species huddled together in some sort of activity, often simply quiet contemplation. Lions, whales, cheetah, monkeys, rhinos and a long list of other animals are captured in moments of domestic tranquility or chaos. All are wonderful, but my favorite features a tiny snail and much larger snail seeming to approach and star at one another, accompanied by the words "slowly but surely I have grown to be more and more like you in the very best ways."

That's what the book is all about, realizing how much so many of us owe to our fathers and how, despite all the troubles we may put them through as children and adolescents, we probably will come to see that they were right about most things. It's part adulation, part apology and all sincere appreciation coupled with some irresistible animal photos, and with fewer than 90 pages, it's a breeze to read through, but its tender message is worth returning to again and again.