My Sailor Dad

 Author's Summary

My Sailor Dad is the first book in the Patriot Kids series. Patriot Kids recognizes the untold sacrifices of every member of America's Armed Forces. Indeed, Ross H. Mackenzie carefully crafted each book to highlight those many sacrifices while also hoping to assist the thousands of families left at home while service members defend our nation overseas.         
 
Our mission is that our books and products will bolster national pride in our service members, be an invaluable resource for service member families, and be engaging, educational books for military kids who are so proud of their parents and yearn to know more about their parent's respective military profession.
 
My Sailor Dad accomplishes these goals. Told from a child's perspective, the book addresses difficult questions that kids ask about deployment like, "Dad, whey you go away, is what you do important?", "Dad, do you still love me when you're gone?", and finally, "Dad, will you ever come home?" My Sailor Dad uses the awesome scale of the Navy to impress the child not only with the grandeur of the physical "things" in the Navy, but also to suggest the massive scale of the sacrifice on both the part of sailor and family. Out for over a year, My Sailor Dad has made a positive difference in the lives of many Navy families. It is on its way to becoming THE book sought out for deploying families.

MWSA Review

MWSA 2010 Gold Medal for Children's Books, Under 12

My Sailor Dad is an extraordinary children's book. The story is both educational and encouraging, while the illustrations are astonishingly intricate and authentic.  
 
Mackenzie presents an endearing story that explains not only the job that Daddy does while he is sailing the vast seas on a big Navy ship, but also explains why he does it. The author's explanation of why takes advantage of an opportune time to instill patriotism and pride into the mind of the very young. The story concludes with the guarantee that no matter where in the world Daddy may be  "Daddy still loves me".           
 
The prose is written in a slightly modified anapestic tetrameter, which is meticulously consistent throughout.  The book has puzzles inside using Naval signal flags.  The title page has "My Sailor Dad" spelled out in flags; and inside the back cover, "the end" is also spelled out in signal. One of the pages is outlined in flags which spells out "10 1776 the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs 09 2001" which represents the birthday of the Navy; the typical sentence that is used in the Navy which utilizes all 26 characters; and commemorates 9/11. Other pages are adorned with replicas of actual Navy-themed U.S. postage stamps, and properly sequenced ribbons.  The colorful facsimiles are sure to have little fingers pointing in awe.
  
Not only will young minds be educated as to the many jobs aboard a Navy ship, they will be captivated by the lively and abundant artwork. The adult reader (even the most experienced Sailor) will be equally impressed with the authenticity of both the story and the illustrations.  
 
This phenomenal children's book delivers a delightful story of comfort and reassurance to the child of a Navy parent. It radiates with a bedtime message that is sure to induce sweet dreams.   

Reviewed by: Claudia Pemberton (2010)