Daddy Is Amazing Like That
Mary Anne McMahon and Jennifer Bucciero Boyles
Independently Published (2026)
ISBN: 979-8258871336
Reviewed by Eve Panzer for Reader Views (08/2026)
Daddy Is Amazing Like That by Mary Anne McMahon and Jennifer Bucciero Boyles is based on the authors’ real lives, featuring two sisters and their father, who uses a wheelchair. Throughout the story, there are examples of how the father has not let his disability stop him from pursuing a full, rich life. For emotional support, he started a group where other parents in wheelchairs can meet, share their experiences, and plan activities together. One such activity is sports day, which highlights the physical activities people in wheelchairs can participate in. Throughout the book, the author highlights how the father continues to be a good parent, doing as many “typical dad things” as he can, including giving his children good advice, modeling positivity, and attending their activities, such as the Daddy/Daughter dance.
This book packs a number of valuable SEL and other life lessons into its 24 pages. It addresses themes such as kindness, gratitude, friendship, embracing diversity, resilience, persistence, and facing and overcoming challenges. The book provides good modeling for a parent with disabilities and helps children understand that there are many “parent things” their parent can still do. This could prove to be useful to families in this situation.
Although this is not quite a picture book because many pages are filled with text, it does include illustrations by Eleonora D’Amico. The art is quite appealing and colorful, simple but warm. The pictures appear to be done in watercolors, on paper that looks textured and thick, a medium familiar to the book’s audience. All of this gives the book a nostalgic feeling that will resonate with adults who are reading to children.
From the moving Afterword, the reader learns the book is a tribute to the authors’ father, who battled Multiple Sclerosis with resilience and perseverance. He kept a positive attitude, retained his sense of humor, and chose joy. MS “…took away his ability to do the typical dad things, but it never took away his ability to be a dad.” The authors want parents going through similar challenges to be inspired, and children to realize “…love continues despite difficulty.” The book includes a photo of the authors as teens with their father.
Despite all of the valuable and widely applicable themes and messages in this book – kindness, gratitude, friendship, embracing diversity, resilience, persistence, and facing and overcoming challenges – the messages may come across a bit didactic to some. While Daddy Is Amazing Like That seems most appropriate for children and their parents dealing with a disability, it’s a valuable lesson for everyone. It could possibly prompt important discussions that may otherwise be difficult to have. This book is recommended for grades 4 and up.
At a Glance: A children’s book about two sisters whose wheelchair-using father shows that disability does not diminish his role as a loving, active parent. Based on a real family, it explores resilience, inclusion, perseverance, and adapting to physical challenges.
Best for Readers Who Enjoy: children’s books about disabilities, wheelchair representation, inclusive families, resilient parents, social-emotional learning, books about perseverance, embracing differences, family love, disability awareness