On My Papa's Shoulders by Niki Daly portrays how special each family member is to a child, highlighting the excitement and different feeling the boy experiences whenever his father or grandfather get to take him to school.
Daly doesn't identify family members by their names, but rather uses mama, tata, gogo, papa and son to emphasise the intimacy they have. He uses first person narration to tell the story from the foundation phase learner’s perspective to reveal the unique approach the father uses to bond with his son as compared to the rest of the family members. This is later highlighted in the book as he first introduces the reader to the normal days when the mother or granny takes the boy to school.
"Most days I walk to school with Mama. She holds my hand tightly and we walk quickly along the busy city road. Some days Gogo takes me to school. We always leave early so that we don’t have to hurry,“ the book reads.
The boy then takes the reader through the unfavourable conditions his father let him walk through, telling him he's a “big boy”, which the boy enjoys.
"Tata says I’m a big boy and never holds my hand, but he’s a great hugger.
"The days I love most are when Papa takes me to school. Papa is strong and tall. When he lifts me onto his shoulders I’m as high as a cloud. I want to stay on Papa’s shoulders forever and ever. When we get to my school. it’s time to come down and say goodbye. Papa kneels beside me and says, ‘I love you’. And I go to school," reads the book.
Explaining his idea, Daly said as a pensioner he’s observed over the years how parents taking children to school do so in unique ways, and in different scenarios.
"Including a father and grandfather was also an opportunity to present a balanced image of maleness at a time when 'men bashing' tends to place all men in the same group as abusive men and those who abandon their families.
“After all, I had met many wonderful, doting fathers at book fairs with their children, sharing loving relationships with both their sons and daughters, to know that the negative generalising of men was untrue," he said.
Mia de Beer, from Tafelberg Publishers said: "Each family member plays their part in the simple act of walking a young boy to school, making him feel loved and cherished. The time spent with his father is the highlight and beautifully illustrates the power of a strong bond between father and son."
The 32-paged book is available at online platforms at R170 per copy.