Have a good read, mate!
Getting gripped by a pregnancy or childcare book isn't always that
easy for blokes. Unlike women, who will read anything and everything on
the subject, men are less inclined to beef up on the nitty gritty. But
perhaps that's just because they haven't seen any good books lately. We
have compiled a round-up of possible titles to whet a dad's appetite;
from the instructional to the down-right silly.
The Haynes Baby Manual: Conception to Two Years
Author: Dr Ian Banks
Publisher: Haynes Publications
Price: £14.99 from
amazon>>
Taking delivery of a new baby is even more exciting than taking delivery
of a new car (at least for most people). It can also be more worrying
- after all, if you decide you've made a mistake you can't send the baby
back to the factory or trade it in for another one. Conception, pregnancy
and birth can nowaddays be associated with some very high-tech equipment,
but underneath the monitors and scanner screens the basic process is the
same as it ever was (just as the internal combustion engine itself has
not changed, despite being surrounded by electronic sensors and control
units).
This manual gives you what you would expect from Haynes: down-to-earth,
step-by-step instructions, written by professionals from practical experience.
The manual should help you to: decide when and how to start; keep your
cool in the delivery room; maintain baby's bodywork in optimum condition;
prevent corrosion of vital parts; understand the on-board diagnostic system;
and decide when to call in professional assistance.
 Dad
Rules
Author: Andrew Clover
Publisher: Penguin/Fig Tree
Price: £14.99 from
amazon>>
My girlfriend took my hand. She said: "Andrew, let's have children!"
I knew this was a historic moment; I must respond like a man. So I ignored
her. I don't understand pregnancy. I don't understand how 2 cells become
4 cells which becomes someone who posts jammy biscuits in the DVD player.
The book is based on his wildly popular Sunday Times columns, but it expands
on them marvellously, describing how he transformed from reluctant Dad
to happiest man in Britain. It tells tales about schools, sibling squabbles,
and Grans. It covers all the fears a modern parent might face: Why do
I have no friends anymore? How will I stop myself turning into my father?
Will we ever have sex again?
From Lad to Dad
Author: Stephen Giles 
Publisher: White Ladder Press Ltd
Price: £6.39 from
amazon>>
'From Lad to Dad' is, unsurprisingly, one man's journey through pregnancy
and into fatherhood. Stephen Giles uses a journal-type format to chart
his feelings, his fears and his joys from the first steps in conception
to his first Christmas as a new Dad. A short book at just 106 pages, the
book takes a simple narrative style, interspersed with words of advice
taken from his own experience and those of other fathers who contributed.
It is easy to read, written with humour, sensitivity and intelligence.
The tone and approach is light, and while not avoiding the more serious
issues doesn't make anything too deep and meaningful. Imagine Nick Hornby
with less football, a touch less wit and fewer euphemisms for excrement,
and you get the idea. I wouldn't class this as a useful book - it's more
entertainment than education, despite Giles's stated intentions, and he's
never going to supplant Miriam Stoppard.
 Fatherhood:
The Truth
Author: Marcus Berkmann
Publisher: Vermilion
Price: £7.25 from
amazon>>
Vanessa Thorpe, writing in The Observer on 16 January 2005, said that
Berkmann's book "has a clean bash at nailing the key myths, while offering
a few jokes to lighten the load necessarily bearing down on someone who
is waiting to become a father." She thought that the book, which is rather
'blokey' in approach and language, was quite far behind the titles out
there for women, but we must bear in mind that non-fiction for men on
the issue of parenting is a fairly new phenomenon; it will take some time
to catch up with what's out there for women, if it ever can.
Reassurance comes aplenty, as does humour, which the Sunday Telegraph
comments on ("The laughs come in every paragraph. A masterpiece about
sad, neurotic British fathers.") and philosopher Alain de Botton agrees
with, Ambitious and substantial...Berkmann is highly entertaining...with
an anarchic Pythonesque sense of fun". The fathers reviewing this on amazon.co.uk
seemed pretty united in their praise for the book, liking its humour "gut
achey funny" as one described it and its educational qualities, with one
reviewer saying that this need be the only book you buy. However, one
man admitted to it being a bit too blokey for his liking.
 The
Bloke's Guide to Pregnancy
Author: Jon Smith
Publisher: Hay House
Price: £7.19 from
amazon>>
This books says that it takes a 'warts and all' look at pregnancy, highlighting
the fact that while it takes two to make a baby, two to raise one, why
shouldn't pregnancy be a joint venture as well? The author Jon Smith wrote
the book in response to the lack of male-oriented reading matter out there,
with the aim of educating and entertaining his readership and it seems,
from the comments and reviews on Amazon, that he has succeeded.
 Dad
Stuff: Shedloads of Ideas for Dads
Author: Steve Caplin, Simon Rose
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
Price: £7.19
from amazon>>
I actually bought this for my husband as he loves reading encyclopaedias,
dictionaries etc. However, he still really hasn't given this a proper
look, which is surprising as it has some good stuff in there (that he
needs to know too!). One example is 'how to fly a kite', which he told
me when I bought him a kite, that he didn't know how to do. Perhaps I
buy him bad presents. Anyway, it has loads of advice on typical daddy
activities as well as suggestions for tricks kids will love, such as burping
the alphabet. Chapters include 'Fun with everyday objects', 'Batteries
not required' and 'Are we there yet?' and one dad on amazon said that
thanks to the book his daughter thinks he's full of fun things to do.
That can't be bad, can it?
 Great
Lies to Tell Small Kids
Author: Andy Riley
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Price: £3.99 from
amazon>>
By the same author as The Bunny Suicides, this is an indispensable book
for statements and sayings that will amuse, entertain or quieten kids,
depending on your need at the time. The old chestnuts such as "If the
wind changes direction your face will stay that way" and "When the ice
cream van chimes, that means he's sold out" are included, there are also
more unusual sayings and stories, including the vampire tooth fairy, who
was bitten in Dracula's castle. Should be as funny for parents as it is
for their children.
 How
to be a Little Sod
Author: Simon Brett, Tony Ross (Illustrator)
Publisher: Orion
Price: £4.99 from
amazon>>
Voiced on TV by Rik Mayall, The Little Sod has become something of a
favourite amongst humour-loving parents, both mums and dads alike, for
its portrayal of how the arrival of a new baby can bring chaos to a household.
Its approach is refreshing, written as it is from the point of view of
the baby. While humour is obviously intended, it still can give you another
perspective on what could be going on in your child's head. And there's
more in the series should you become addicted to this!
 How
to be a Great Dad
Author: Ian Bruce
Publisher: Arcturus Foulsham
Price: £7.19 from
amazon>>
This steers away from the laddish tones of some of the fatherhood books
on the market and looks at parenting and child development from a more
practical and neutral stance. It covers the initial shock of bringing
home a dependent baby and explores how your role as a father will change
throughout the years, according to your child's age. Helpfully, the book
is divided into different age groups: 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, and 15-20 so it
should be a relevant read for the next 20 years of your parenting life!
Reassuringly, the book emphasises the fact that parenthood is a process
and not a sole goal to achieve, and it looks at some of the major areas
where dads (and mums) may struggle, such as self-confidence, discipline,
sexuality, empowerment, etc.
Where to next?
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