Stark Raving Dad is a new book from Running Press aimed at frazzled parents who are still able to laugh through their pain. From pondering the myriad of diaper choices in the baby aisle to getting spewed with bodily fluids, author Sanderson Dean captures the angst of parenthood all in comedic verse and accompanies it with original art drawn by his children.
I was impressed at the sheer volume of poems in the book. At 127 pages, this was a leap from the usual 25 page children’s books I’m sent to review. But this one is definitely not aimed at the kids, who probably wouldn’t see the humor in the evils of broccoli, dirty socks or dropping the kid off at daycare with a loaded diaper. It speaks to us, the parents who have all been there.
The poems cover a wide variety of parenting topics and they don’t really follow a specific pattern. Some rhyme and some are more free-form. I’m hoping Mr. Dean doesn’t take this the wrong way, but it reminds me of the kind of book you find in the bathroom. It makes good toilet reading, if parents actually got a chance to read on the toilet anymore. There’s probably a poem in there about that too.
The book is a lot of fun and everything is painfully (and humorously) relatable for anyone with children. It would make a great baby shower, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift. Or maybe a housewarming gift for the aforementioned quality me-time toilet reading.
About the Author:
Sanderson Dean has been an Emmy Award-winning writer/producer/creative in the television and film advertising business for more than two decades. He is a husband and proud father of two boys who serve as his poetic inspiration (and book illustrators). Find him online at StarkRavingDad.com and check out his book on Amazon: Stark Raving Dad
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