Sleepless Nights and Kisses for Breakfast

April 10, 2017
This is a charming and delightful look at fatherhood by first-time author Bussola, whose chronicles of his family life over a two-year period became incredibly popular on Facebook. This memoir, featuring more than 100 short and insightful observations collected from those Facebook entries, examines the joys and complications of fatherhood from the perspective of a stay-at-home dad who’s juggling his work responsibilities with the clearly more enjoyable task of taking care of his three daughters, who are now eight, four, and two. Gathering “stories, reports, reflections and near-daily snapshots” of his daughters’ growth, Bussola shows how “being a father has made me a better man, a more confident artist, and a more attentive partner.” Throughout, he describes beautiful, loving, and often hilarious scenes, such as his daughter Ginevra’s complaint that Bussola won’t let her jump on the fog and clouds she sees from her grandparent’s cabin in the mountains (“Put Mommy on and I’ll ask her. You don’t let me do anything”) as well as a heartfelt reverie about hoping that his parental role “to guide and protect” could always help his children “feel surrounded by beauty.”

March 15, 2017
An Italian father reflects on raising three daughters.In this short, succinct, and sweet collection of essays, which became a bestseller in Italy, Bussola writes about being a work-at-home father of three young girls. He shares the funny, sad, angry, bittersweet, loving jumble of thoughts and feelings that make up being a parent who is trying as hard as he can to do the right thing, say the right thing, and be the right thing at the right moment so his girls grow into intelligent, compassionate women like their mother. -This book is a journal of sorts,- writes the author. -It's about how being a father has made me a better man, a more confident artist, and a more attentive partner....The view [the girls] provide gives me a different way of looking at everything, even at what I was before they came along.- Bussola is used to the middle-of-the-night sicknesses, the fears of attending school for the first time, and the quirky, wonder-filled, often hilarious questions only children can ask from their different perspectives. Throughout the collection, readers will feel the author's palpable love and empathy for his children along with the dogged tiredness that pervades a parent's life and the constant questioning and self-doubt of whether one is doing everything possible to make sure the day flows smoothly from one moment to the next. Along with his thoughts on life as a father, Bussola shares comments on the world, whether it's the prejudice he sees around him, the irritation he feels toward a telemarketer, or the suspicions he houses toward a stranger who appears at his gate who wants nothing more than a bottle of water. These commentaries help balance the essays, which could tend toward the overly cute if they focused only on his children. Charming, -near-daily snapshots- of fatherhood.

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Starred review from June 15, 2017

Based on his popular Facebook posts, Italian illustrator and stay-at-home dad Bussola's debut memoir is a charming and humorous take on fatherhood. Most chapters are only a few pages long and consist of musings on the small moments--his three young daughters' questions about life, a trip to the grocery store, taking the dog out late at night. The book is arranged by seasons, starting with winter, and readers can dip in anywhere and find something engrossing, insightful, and fun. Richards's translation reads well, as neither American nor British English but as Italian English, if there is such a thing. VERDICT A perfect summer read that will allow parents, dads especially, to reflect upon their own experiences raising children. (Memoir, 5/23/17; ow.ly/5At030c0LST)--Derek Sanderson, Mount Saint Mary Coll., Newburgh, NY

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