Book: Countdown 'Til Daddy Comes Home

image via Kristin Ayyar

Author Kristin Ayyar was kind enough to send over a copy of her children's book Countdown 'Til Daddy Comes Home to us this past week. It was fun to let Clementine open up the envelope and then nestle down in the couch to read it with her. It's dedicated to all the children of the U.S. Military. I loved that.

We don't have any military friends who live around us, so Clementine really doesn't have any military kids to share her military life with. Having videos and books made just for military kids really has helped us help her this year. I can't tell you how grateful I have been for anyone who has produced a video for military kids or written a book that speaks to her life. I know she feels a real connection to the kids she sees in these books and videos, especially the in-person interviews on some of the videos.

We could relate to the main character in Countdown 'Til Daddy Comes Home wanting to throw everything out of his daddy's suitcase and climb in himself. We remember our super sad goodbye day just like Kristin wrote about it. Clementine fell asleep in her dad's arms while they said goodbye. I think the emotions just overwhelmed her.

Just like the family in this sweet book we've counted down too. We've lost lots of teeth here and spent more time with extended family. Instead of a Daddy Bear we have a Daddy Doll, but we totally understand the importance of a Daddy to hug in bed at night. We've sent care packages too. Right now, just as Kristin wrote about it, we are cleaning the house, getting Daddy's favorite foods and decorating for Daddy to come home. We talked about a Daddy Daughter date and what she would like to do. This is definitely a story we felt a connection to. 

This is also a great book for Clementine to practice her reading every day. I also liked the Discussion Questions in the back that can help parents get their kids talking about how they feel. There are questions that cover all phases of deployment and can help you know how your little ones are doing. In the back there are also ideas for your own countdown and a link to the Daddy Countdown website that has even more treats and ideas for military parents. You can get to know author  Kristin Ayyar here.

This book will take a very special place in our little library of military kid treasures. You never know, maybe one day we'll have a third generation of military kids who will enjoy this book.