Happy Book Birthday: WHEN YOUR DADDY’S A SOLDIER Plus Giveaway

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Grab a box of tissues, dear friends…we are singing Happy Book Birthday to a new book that will touch your heart!

Written by Gretchen McLellan – Illustrated by EG Keller – Published by Viking Books for Young Readers

I absolutely love the cover – and the story is so heartfelt…kid-friendly and relatable!
Here’s a few words about the book from the Amazon sales page:

A lyrical, moving story about a family’s experience at home during their dad’s time away at war.

For one young boy and his family at home, the days pass slowly. That’s because when your daddy’s a soldier and he’s away at war, you can’t wait for him to come home so you can be together again. 
 
This poignant and impactful story, inspired by the author’s lived experiences, captures the essence of the daily heartache, fear, joy, and uncertainty that a child whose parent has gone off to war must live with. 

When new books launch, there are a few things we can do to help:
1. Buy a copy – for yourself or a friend or to donate to a children’s hospital, women’s shelter, or other worthy organization.
2. Review the book – on Amazon or Goodreads…reviews really do help books and their authors and illustrators.
3. Tell friends about the book.
4. Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection.

Please make sure you leave a comment – awesome author Gretchen is offering a giveaway of a copy of this beautiful SEL book. And I hope you all have a wonderful week.

39 thoughts on “Happy Book Birthday: WHEN YOUR DADDY’S A SOLDIER Plus Giveaway”

  1. Thank you, Gretchen, for writing this book. We are a retired Navy family. I remember those deployment experiences like they happened yesterday. I wish you all the best. Military children need to know their experience is felt by many others.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Yes, thank you, Sue. I think the story will resonate with families who endure separations for lots of reasons as well–families of forest fighters, rescue workers, first responders, frontline workers in the pandemic, the list unfortunately can go on and on. So many children and their families have a lot to adjust to when a parent serves.

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Thank you, Rachelle. This means a lot to me. Being an army brat myself, I want to immediately ask about where you lived here and abroad, to find some more connections. In case you’ve never had a book dedicated to you or your kids, I want you to know that it is dedicated to military brats.

      Liked by 1 person

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      • I live in new jersey. I wasn’t an army brat myself though. My husband has been retired for about 15 years now. Worked as a contractor for the military for an additional 5 years. He loved the life but is glad to be retired. 😉

        Liked by 1 person

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  6. Congratulations Gretchen and EG! Looking forward to reading When Your Daddy’s a Soldier. Looks as if it addresses the conflicting emotions of fear and bravery.

    Liked by 2 people

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      • Thank you and your son. Thanks so much for requesting my book at the library, too. It’s important for both military kids, to whom the book is dedicated, and for the rest of American society to have books like this on the shelves. Military kids need to see themselves and others need to understand what life can be like when a parent is deployed. Of course, my book cannot possibly represent every family’s experience. We need more books that feature military families as well.

        Liked by 1 person

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  13. This book already brings out so many emotions and I know it will do the same for others, especially those who have family serving. This is a beautiful, heart-full book.

    Liked by 1 person

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  15. Pingback: When Your Daddy’s a Soldier Book Release Day and Giveaway – Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan

  17. Just reading the two book pages in this post and I’m hooked, and more than a bit emotional. This looks just amazing! Congratulations and happy book birthday!

    Liked by 2 people

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  18. Thanks for writing a book that highlights the military life. I got a catch in my throat when I read about the tree house. Some of the children I taught from JBLM talked about their treehouses. Not only does a book like this encourage children in military families, but it encourages empathy in families not in the military. Way to go!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

    • Thank you, writingonthewater!
      Thank you for sharing that kids on JBLM talked about their tree houses. EG Keller created such a beautiful tree fort for my story, and I love that he drew the daddy in it comforting his son. I imagine some of the tree houses your students talked about were ones they’d had to leave behind or would with their next PCS. As you know, there are so many kinds of goodbyes in the military life.
      I’d love to hear more about your experiences with kids at JBLM. I’ve written a middle grade novel set both there and in Germany and am always interested in learning more from others. Do you write middle grade as well?
      Would you be willing to leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads so that this book can find the widest possible audience? I’d really appreciate it.

      Like

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