A Hand to Hold

Can you hold onto someone with your heart instead of your hand? When it’s time to start school, a little girl must let go of her father’s hand in order to reach out and grab hold of something new.

8.5″ x 8.5″ | 26 pages
Rosetta Press
$10.00
ISBN-13: 978-1530033669
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It is so wonderful to read a story that lovingly and reassuringly shows us that fathers love their children. (Of course fathers love their children, but it isn’t all that often so overtly expressed and in such a tender way.) Having the narrator tell the story in a first-person point of view lets us see the world from this young girl’s perspective and experience her life for a bit. We get to feel loved, encouraged, scared, and brave with her…So, go read A Hand to Hold. It’s a wonderful, beautiful, tender slice of life that is a joy to read and share with your children and those you love. ~ The Picture Book Review

Although the book packs an emotional punch that gets at  how hard it is for many kids to separate from their parents (and speaks to the parent who has mixed emotions about that step their child is taking away from them), it never feels saccharine. Yes, even despite my misty (okay, teary!) eyes…Every library who serves young children needs this book. Particularly school libraries. We always, always, always have a few kids each year that have a hard time saying goodbye to mom or dad. Ones who are a little bit scared and just need a little push in the right direction. Talk about a perfect book for story time in those first few days of school. ~ @ Home Librarian

At once developmentally appropriate and exquisitely written, with a story that anyone experiencing separation will appreciate (especially those on the lookout for books about loving and caring fathers), A Hand To Hold is a much-needed book. ~ Allie Jane Bruce at Reading While White