When Dad Showed Me the Universe

Tonight Dad wants to show his son something very special: the Universe. Of course, they can’t possibly embark on such a daring adventure unprepared, so they wrap up warm (beret incluis), gather provisions, and then off they go. It’s a long walk, but eventually they get there.

Along the way, they learn that sometimes the journey is more important than the destination, and sometimes the biggest lessons happen when you least expect them.

This is a beautiful tale, told from the point of view of a small child. This story encapsulates the experience of being a child and being a parent brilliantly, and the descriptive language is wonderful and quirky. It isn’t often you encounter a picture book that refers to the flecks of blood on a dentists white lab coat!

The dad in this story is hoping to show his child the Universe, so takes him out in the dark one evening after he finishes work. He builds the anticipation for an unknown trip so that the child is excited yet concerned that they don’t know what the universe is. They reach the place that the father calls the universe, only for the child to consider wonders closer to the ground as the universe – which of course they were, yet the father says this is silly and shows him the stars; his “universe”.

Liking this New Zealand published book so much myself, I have stocked a few copies for sale (free postage with any beret!).