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Hero Dad
Some superheroes wear rocket-propelled boots, drive super-powered cars, and have X-ray vision. But other superheroes wear army boots, drive tanks, and go away for long trips to make the world a safer place. It's a tough job, but that's what superheroes have to do. With Melinda Hardin's simple text and with Bryan Langdo's endearing watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, Hero Dad makes a difficult and tender subject more accessible to children with parents serving far from home.
24 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2010
16 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
November 10, 2017
Fantastically detailed full page illustrations show life in the Army in a way that young kids will enjoy. The easy to understand text compares super heroes to every day heroes and is lesson that won’t soon be forgotten. This is a great book for explaining to kids why dad, or mom, needs to be away on deployment or just a fine book to share on Veterans Day. It even has a companion book “Hero Mom”.
Ages 3-5 Pages 32
Ages 3-5 Pages 32
May 25, 2018
Just one or two lines of text per page and close-up illustrations make this suitable for sharing with very young children. I appreciate that it transitions the concept of hero to just being an ordinary person doing their job well.
January 20, 2018
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Summer Reading, Day 13: Today was the second day of our Daddy Book marathon. Our book was Hero Dad by Melinda Hardin. This was a nice, short book celebrating dads in the military, as JJ’s daddy was. Very nice art, and a quick read for young readers. It was also good that we are reminded of the many daddies that will not spending Father’s Day with their littles because they are serving.
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
September 17, 2010
This is a good book to read to kindergarten and first graders. It talks about a dad who is in the army. This would be a good way to open of discussions about family members serving in the military.
December 6, 2016
1. A child's narrative of his superhero Dad. He does not have the ability to fly or laser vision, but he is a hero in his own way. The boy talks about his father that is in the military and all the adventures that he faces when protected the country.
2. This is a sensitive topic, especially for those who do have family members over seas. This book will help young ones learn about what their family members are doing and also learning what soldiers do everyday. A beautiful, simple book that explains the importance of a soldier's job.
3. Hero Mom by Melinda Hardin.
4. "He can't fly- well, sometimes he can."
2. This is a sensitive topic, especially for those who do have family members over seas. This book will help young ones learn about what their family members are doing and also learning what soldiers do everyday. A beautiful, simple book that explains the importance of a soldier's job.
3. Hero Mom by Melinda Hardin.
4. "He can't fly- well, sometimes he can."
October 18, 2018
This book was very heartwarming. It talks about how a military child would view their parent, which I thought was done in a very respectful way. The pictures went well with the words to emphasize the story and help children who have not been through this situation relate to how a military child may feel. I loved this book because it was very easy and honored the value of a Military parent. It discussed how proud a child feels towards there parent which was touching. Overall, this picture book was cute and heartwarming to read about how a can child idolizes their military dad.
May 22, 2025
This book is about a child who has an army soldier for a dad. The child describes the superpowers his dad has, and his life in the army. The kid uses fun phrases, like x-ray vision, superhero, and flying to describe his dad. Sometimes he even drives tanks and goes far away from home. After everything, the child still thinks that his dad is extraordinary and is a hero.
Reason for Recommendation: This book is perfect for children to learn about Memorial Day, and for kids to learn about soldiers in the Army.
Reason for Recommendation: This book is perfect for children to learn about Memorial Day, and for kids to learn about soldiers in the Army.
February 14, 2019
This made me cry and smile at the same time. I read it to my 2yo every night when his daddy was gone--at his insistence. It's so simple, but incredibly accurate. A great read, especially for children who miss their hero-soldier daddy.
August 12, 2020
Hero Mom by Melinda Hardin tells a story of how a child sees their dad that serves in the military. The story explains that even though the dad does not have powers or a cape, that he is a hero to his children and his country. This is a great book for military children and young readers.
January 11, 2025
A child differentiates between a comic book superhero and a real life hero - his dad, a soldier in the army. I loved this. People in the military defend our freedoms. They are the real heroes. I loved the perspective of the child in this book!
November 13, 2017
Picture Book - A great book that helps young kids to understand the heroic efforts of our military. Follows a child talking about why his dad is a hero.
May 30, 2018
Great kids book
I read this to my preschool class, they loved it! It helped them understand a little more on how important our soldiers are!
I read this to my preschool class, they loved it! It helped them understand a little more on how important our soldiers are!
October 22, 2018
3 1/2 stars
Military handled simply and sweetly
Military handled simply and sweetly
December 5, 2018
Easy read for pre-k to first grade. Children who have a parent in the military will love this book! They can relate to what it’s like having a soldier as a parent.
January 20, 2020
Great for reading around Veteran's Day or Father's Day, this book showcases how every day superheroes are among us and can even be family members!
April 15, 2020
i think it is interesting how KU works? i did find all these military reads last night .. thank you to all service men and women. thank you for all your hard work and dedication. thanks!
April 24, 2020
A book about a dad who is an American soldier
August 23, 2020
Great
A lovely book for toddlers to teach them more about the superhero life of army soldiers. Great illustrations. Loved it
A lovely book for toddlers to teach them more about the superhero life of army soldiers. Great illustrations. Loved it
November 16, 2020
Short, but very sweet. Would be good to read for superhero theme. We read for Veteran's Day.
June 30, 2021
Comparing a soldier to super heroes. Straightforward art and text.
September 9, 2022
My little ones really liked it.
May 27, 2023
Read to me on Tiktok @cominghomemilitary512 by a little girl who was being surprised at school by her dad coming home from deployment.
July 27, 2023
A young boy thinks of his military father as a superhero and he does a compare/contrast of the two ideas. For example: “He doesn’t wear a cloak that makes him invisible - he wears camouflage.”
August 25, 2025
A young boy describes the similarities and differences between his dad, who serves in the army, and the superheroes seen in movies and comics.
September 6, 2025
This book is a good and showed kids what the military does. I would read this book to my students around Veterans Day, explaining to them how these people are real superhero’s!
November 2, 2025
A perfect book for Veterans Day or when a parent deployed.
February 12, 2017
Some superheroes wear rocket-propelled boots, drive super-powered cars, and have X-ray vision. But other superheroes wear army boots, drive tanks, and go away for long trips to make the world a safer place. It's a tough job, but that's what superheroes have to do. With Melinda Hardin's simple text and with Bryan Langdo's endearing watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, Hero
October 3, 2012
A little boy is telling the story of his dad who is his superhero. His dad doesn't do anything exciting like we might see in the movies, but the boy realizes the importance of his job. You see, his dad is an American soldier. The boy respects his dad's sacrifices for his country but also sees the things that he does as "cool." I also felt that students would be able to see the love between the dad and the son. I really liked this book because the dad is depicted so negatively in the media that a real positive "dad" story is very much welcomed! I believe this book would be good for lower elementary students because it has very few words. This is a good story because kids hear so much about war these days and this is a very respectful story of what a soldier does. It is also reassuring because it shows the dad coming home. I would use this if I had a student who had a relative in the military or around veteran's day.
Hardin, M., & Langdo, B. (2010). Hero dad. New York: Marshall Cavendish.
Hardin, M., & Langdo, B. (2010). Hero dad. New York: Marshall Cavendish.
April 3, 2013
Hardin, Melinda (2010).
Subgroup: Deployment
Genre: Fiction
Topics: Soldiers, Superheros, Father and Child
Synopsis: A book dealing with a parent in the military. A father's child narrates the story, and looks at his dad's deployment as a cool thing. He calls his dad a superhero and compares the things his dad has to do for the military to what a superhero would do. The pages have very colorful pictures that aren't overly detailed, and have a simple sentence structure. It would be great for a child to read this if they need to have a positive reinforcement about the whole idea of a parent leaving. If a child really likes superheros and their parent is being deployed, I highly recommend this book.
Subgroup: Deployment
Genre: Fiction
Topics: Soldiers, Superheros, Father and Child
Synopsis: A book dealing with a parent in the military. A father's child narrates the story, and looks at his dad's deployment as a cool thing. He calls his dad a superhero and compares the things his dad has to do for the military to what a superhero would do. The pages have very colorful pictures that aren't overly detailed, and have a simple sentence structure. It would be great for a child to read this if they need to have a positive reinforcement about the whole idea of a parent leaving. If a child really likes superheros and their parent is being deployed, I highly recommend this book.
January 7, 2011
There aren't that many books about moms and dads in the military; so another one is welcome, and this one is set apart by good illustrations and a short enough length for younger listeners. While it doesn't talk about what soldiers DO, it does show guns and tanks and other equipment. I don't think this is a book about explaining soldiers and war, though, I think it's a book for very young kids whose dads are soldiers. Every soldier's family explains war, fighting, and the soldier's job to their children in different ways, and by not trying to address those issues in the book, the author lets the child reader bring their own understanding to it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews