Father to Daughter: Life Lessons on Raising a Girl

by Harry H. Harrison Jr.

Warm and fuzzy, anchored in values, and filled with simple words of wisdom, this beloved, bestselling book for parents speak to the important business of raising daughters, and distill their timeless lessons into one nugget of wisdom per page—some lighthearted, some serious, some practical, and some intangible, and all supported by a strong moral backbone.
Freshly updated, the book begins with the Five Keys of Parenting, a guide to navigating the extraordinary, even if sometimes exasperating, journey of parenthood. It’s filled with helpful Tickle her, play with her, give her piggyback rides. She’s not breakable. And accepting bittersweet Prepare for the day when you’re not the most important man in her life.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Family, Reference

378 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2003

About the author

Harry H. Harrison Jr. is a parenting expert and author of 1,001 Things It Means to Be a Dad and other 1,001 Things books from Thomas Nelson. For many years, he operated his own award-winning creative consultancy firm, Harrison Creative Directions.

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story has a sad ending. :-(

[Hugh Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep it on my desk to remind me of what's truly important in life. If you're a father of a little girl this book will be one you will keep for many many years.

[Daryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some funny and heart warming ones in here but also some big eye-rollers as well.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little old fashioned and kinda mildly sexist but still cute.

[Nitin Jain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father to Daughter by Harry H. Harrison Jr. is a heartfelt and insightful collection of advice, perfect for any father looking to strengthen and nurture the unique bond he shares with his daughter. This book isn't a lengthy narrative but rather a quick-reference guide filled with thoughtful, practical, and sometimes humorous one-liners that highlight the many dimensions of fatherhood.

It serves as a great reminder of the countless little things that can shape a daughter’s life—from teaching her self-respect and independence to supporting her dreams and building her confidence. Each page encourages fathers to reflect on their own approach and opens up the mind to new ideas—how to be more involved, how to communicate better, and how to help their daughters grow into strong, self-reliant individuals.

Whether you're a new dad or have been one for years, this book offers gentle nudges to improve this beautiful and delicate relationship. It’s a great one to keep handy and revisit often. A recommended read for any father who truly wants to be present and purposeful in his daughter’s life.

[Widyanto Gunadi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This pocket-sized parenting book is not as quite informative as I expect it would be when I first bought it. It enclosed nothing new in terms of factual contents which can incite practicable insights for its intended audience, the fathers of daughters. Each page of the work only displayed a short phrase of parental advice and, unlike Meg Meeker's "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters" which was supplied and backed up with clinical data, this one, however, seemed to be based on random, claimed-to-be-real parents' experiences everywhere on raising their kids. The author stated in the introductory section to have done extensive interviews with numerous parents in the neighborhood, but whether it was the case was another story. Long story short, if you are looking for a great, profoundly researched, scientific reference on how to raise young girls, I suggest you look up Meg Meeker's "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters" instead. Save your money and do not hesitate to skip this one altogether.

[Elmer Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, quickly read and absorbed, especially for those who have applied the logic within these pages. Heartful memories are stirred, while prophetic passages may lead to new memories.

I enjoyed this book simply because of what was brought to mind from my history. Elegant that simple passages can elicit such responses for an audience that has never met the author. Commonality of the human race captured within descriptive moments along ones familial journey.

Worth the time to read, I thought.

Thanks for reading.

[Alexander Aldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read and filled with hundreds of quick insights from presumably dozens of people interviewed by the author. Some might be put off by this format. I wasn’t as I thought it was a relatively unique way to gather takes on fatherhood from many men who have been successful fathers. I walked away with several thoughts on how to be a better father to my very young daughter. While some insights may not be for everyone, this book accomplishes what it sets out to do. For that, I’d recommend it to any first-time Dad with a daughter like myself.

[Joe B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit outdated in the meantime nearly 20 years after initial publication, especially regarding cell phones, computers and other modern technology, but still relevant today, and with some pages that bring tears to your eyes. Reading the German translation made me realize how America-centric the book is, especially due to different attitudes towards alcohol, sex, religion and money. Still a nice accompaniment to a father-daughter relationship, though.

[Christopher Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I first saw these books about 2 years before we had our first child. It was interesting then but now it holds so much more meaning for me as a dad. I’m sure I’ll be reading through this book multiple times. This would be an excellent gift for new parents!

[Henning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a collection of phrases

I was surprised to find this to be just a collection of random quotes from people - without any overarching thought or narrative, or scientific justification.

[Ashutosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book. Reminder for every Father.

[Mr. Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story has a sad ending. :-(

[Matus Horvath · Rating 5 out of 5]

just wow, very short, simple and sweet. One of the books I will regularly come back to. Recommend to all dads of little girls!! 😊

[Desmond Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of good tips and precursors to how a father will feel during the course of his daughter's life. Great quick read for any father. I'll definitely read it a few times for reminders

[Mandi Lucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very very cute book written to offer fathers advice on how to raise a little girl to a woman.

[MK Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really liked this one. Pieces of advice for dads through different seasons of his daughter’s life. Being a girl dad must be bizarre.

[iTZKooPA · Rating 3 out of 5]

It'll be fun to pick this back up and flip through it from time to time. Some good nuggets hidden around some outdated ones.

[Kejal Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

some nice one liners that hit home.

[Sammy Tiranno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds dads of what’s important in raising a daughter. Each page is a short piece of practical wisdom, with the final one being a gut-wrenching message of only three words. 🥹

[Marek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zbierka výrokov od iných otcov. Väčšina z nich stojí za zamyslenie, ale niektoré nie sú aktuálne pre slovenské pomery. Môžete ju čítať ako knihu, alebo mať položenú na stole a náhodne otvárať. Vtedy to bude mať možno silnejší a dlhšie trvajúci efekt.

[Matthew Coiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dads of daughters, read this book! I've just started my adventure of raising a daughter and already this books rings true on so many occasions. I have read it through a couple of times and look forward to continuing to learn the joy of being my daughter's daddy!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good desk reference for daily use, makes you smile!

[Shaun Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful. A very small book but one any dad will always treasure.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

great read.

[Holly]

My husband read through this boo quickly, but enjoyed the words of wisdom.