Martin's Father, by Margrit Eichler, is a story of the special things that Martin and his father do together. They play hide and seek, have breakfast and lunch, do the laundry, go for walks, splash under the hose on a hot day, play special games during bath time and sing songs during bedtime. For Martin, these things make his father the best father in the world, an opinion one would have a hard time refuting!

This book is particularly good for children with gay fathers. While there is no direct implication in the story that Martin's father is gay, in depicting these father and son experiences, children from single father including single gay father households will see aspects of their own lives in this book. Some young children confuse the illustrations of adult women in the book with Martin's mother, even though the book is very careful not to make any connections to a "mother" figure.

The beautiful black and white illustrations of Martin's father hold! ing a frying pan and making eggs, doing the laundry, pushing Martin on the swing, helping him make his lunch for a picnic, kneeling beside the tub as Martin bathes and reading to him, bring the experiences of a child in a single or coupled, gay- or straight-headed household to life. It beautifully illustrates the deeply nurturing role that a father can take with his child. This book can be appreciated by children as young as two years old. It provides an interesting and needed alternative to the prevalence of the depiction of children always being cared for by mothers.