Dream Dad

Elizabeth St Jacques is the author of Echos All Strung Out, Dance of
Light, and Around the Tree of Light.

When 8-year-old Willa’s substitute teacher instructs her and her
classmates to draw a picture of their father for a Father’s Day card,
Willa is at a loss; she doesn’t know who her father is, let alone what
he looks like. When she begs her mother for information about him, she
is told only that he is on “an island down south.” When Willa’s
mother begins to date a professor, her daughter, who wants her parents
to get back together again, is confused and hurt. She runs off to the
Parliament buildings to ask for the prime minister’s help. She returns
to find the police at her house, and her mother finally able to tell her
about her father.

This story leaves much to be desired. The reasons for the secrecy are
neither compelling nor believable. Willa’s mother seems more concerned
about her own interests than her daughter’s emotional torment. Not
recommended.