WILLOW CREEK PRESS A gray wolf family included in "Just Dads."

Book looks at fatherhood
across species

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By Nancy Arcayna
narcayna@starbulletin.com

"Just Dads" by Bonnie Louise Kuchler (Willow Creek Press, 2002)

Folks who have children know that parenting can be one of the biggest challenges of a lifetime. In the past, mothers were the primary caregivers. Now fathers are trying to do their fair share when it comes to raising kids.

But as theologian Kent Nerburn says, "It is much easier to become a father than to be one."

Inspired by the attempts of dads who maintain "nerves of steel, wills of iron and hearts of pudding," Bonnie Louise Kuchler has created the book "Just Dads." Using the same format as her "Just Moms" book, Kuchler paired colorful quotes with photographs of furry and feathered creatures taking care of their young.

WILLOW CREEK PRESS An ostrich daddy taking his babies for a walk are included in "Just Dads."

Along with the quotations are intriguing facts about the paternal care many species provide, including the emperor penguin father, which carries the egg on his feet for three months without eating, the male sea horse, which gives birth to 150 babies at a time, and the male red fox, which delivers food every four to six hours to his mate for three to four weeks while she nurses her newborns.

Marmoset fathers also are devoted to their babies and even help deliver them by biting off the umbilical cord with their teeth. The male then carries the youngsters on his back until each needs to be fed. Once their bellies are full, he resumes caring for them.

Kuchler dedicated the book in memory of her own dad, who taught her "the importance of butterfly kisses."

She also acknowledged her husband, who instilled a sense of security in their daughter, helped their son find his way in a "mixed-up world" and taught them both a "mean game of Scrabble."

The amusing photographs, combined with the insightful quotations, bring an appealing new viewpoint to the role of fatherhood in both people and animals. Kuchler captures the essence of what being a good role model is all about.

Kyle Pruett, a child development expert, sums it up with his quote from the book: "Fatherhood is the single most creative, complicated, fulfilling, frustrating, engrossing, enriching, depleting endeavor of an adult man's life."

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