Testimonial: My Dad, the Hero by Ethan Long

MY DAD ISN'T A SUPERHERO.

HE CAN'T LEAP TALL BUILDINGS AT A SINGLE BOUND.

This kid has figured out that his dad doesn't have superpowers. Why, he sometimes has to hand a jar that needs opening over to Mom. He trips over things, and instead of flying like a bird, he only takes to the air when he falls off a ladder. He can't lift trains with one hand; in fact he can barely lift a box of toy train parts off the shelf. He doesn't wear tights or a cape around the house. (Thank goodness for that!) And he's definitely not so heroic looking when he snores on the couch.

But that doesn't mean he's not a super dad.

MY DAD DOES SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH ME.

And that's what makes a dad heroic over the long haul, in Ethan Long's funny My Dad, My Hero (Jabberwocky, 2011). With its comic book layout and humorous asides along the way, it presses home the point that what super dads do is be there, day in and day out, with plenty of attention to time on task. "Powered by a Roy Lichtenstein meets Sunday funnies aesthetic and a self-effacing sense of humor, Long's story is sincere without being saccharine--which dads will appreciate, says Publishers Weekly.