It's not always easy being a dad. Mercilessly mocked for openly blubbing at the start of the movie "Up" or ribbed time and again for getting slightly teary at the end of Fast and Furious 7. So it's been a true delight to find a book that reassuringly pats us big strong super-tough macho guys (hah!) on the shoulder and says "Hey big fellah, it's OK. You can cry, go on!"
Keith Negley's stunning "Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too)" is instantly eye-catching, its cover image will blow your superhero socks off as a caped crusader weeps into his cape. So what on earth is this book all about?
Though it's been a fave of both of ours since it first arrived, it's actually a book that really does need to find its way into boys hands and it's not very often I'd openly say that about a book. Charlotte loved it because she found it quite amusing to see big rough tough heroes letting their rough tough exteriors slide. But I liked it because I wholeheartedly respected the message it's imparting, that you can't be a superhero 24 hours a day unless you're somehow chiselled from granite with a solid oak heart.
In the book we see images not only of superheroes, but of cowboys, astronauts, sports heroes, wrestlers, even ninjas, each getting in touch with their emotional sides.
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| "I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife. It's lonely out in space..." |
Thought provoking stuff and if the final image doesn't just about slay you, then that thing we were saying earlier about granite...that.
Charlotte's favourite bit: A lonesome cowboy not quite mastering his trade. Owch!
Daddy's favourite bit: I just love that astronaut shot, and the final image in the book as well, which just about made me well up!
(Kindly sent to us for review by Flying Eye Books)
"Tough Guys (Have Feelings Too)"
Written and Illustrated by Keith Negley
Published by Flying Eye Books
Publication Date (Hardback): 1st October 2015