Confessions of the World's Best Father

April 1, 2014
A humorous, photo-heavy look at fatherhood. Although Engledow is currently employed by an affiliation of the AFL-CIO, he received a degree in photojournalism, which he puts to fine use here, along with a zonked sense of humor. Each two-page spread comes with a wickedly sharp photo on the right--a sly mix of the I Spy books, Norman Rockwell, William Wegman and Thomas the Tank Engine, all in a tender, faux dangerous setting--while on the left side, Engledow explains his fathering philosophy, which ranges between oblivious and demented. The author is often busy partying with his charge--his wife is often away as a result of her military work--or finding ways for her to do the work or for him not to do the work--e.g., "by simply adding a new diaper on top of the old one each morning, I had managed to keep my hands poop-free for days." He also recounts his excitement to find some milk in the back of the refrigerator when the coffee creamer ran out--"it was a bit sweeter and thicker than our regular milk, but my coffee was amazing." A few months later, he was a convert--"those special bottles of milk Jen leaves for Alice Bee have totally replaced the creamer I normally use." Throughout, Engledow plays the role of a facilitator: When Alice Bee showed an interest in fire, he introduced her to lighter fluid; the delicate cycle is just the right amount of agitation to get kids clean. There are downsides, of course--"Playdates suck"--but the upside is that Alice Bee can fit inside the pumpkin to clean all the slimy stuff out. A goofy and heart-gladdening tribute to all the joys and slings and arrows of raising a daughter.

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