Don’t worry, we’re not about to recommend the next rod, reel, net, fishing vest, fishing pack, or exciting new fly fishing gadget to politely nudge your spouse about for your Father’s Day present. You can sneak that into the garage afterward when they drop their guard after you ask for a book for you and your child to share together…
We know that we’ve got plenty of fathers throughout our organization, including some relatively new ones! So when we heard the story of Patty the Palomino, written by our friend Artie Mabbett and with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Project Healing Waters, obviously we had to share! A day with a young kiddo can often be full of craziness, but at the end of the day, when you lay down to read a book with the kiddo, that’s a special moment. And if you’re like us, any chance to bring fishing in is a chance we’re going to take.
A few years back, I was on a fishing trip with my best friend and partner (aka my wife) in Colorado. My wife spotted this oddly colored trout and called me over for a look. Sure enough there were a few Palomino trout in the river. Curiously we looked up the story of the Palomino trout over dinner and joked about writing a children’s book about a special kind of fish. Fast forward two years when we found out we were pregnant with our first child, the book idea didn’t seem so silly. Intrigued by the history of this fish and dreaming of the day when our son could join us on these adventures, Patty the Palomino was conceived.
– Artie Mabbett
And it’s a pretty cool story too, as it helps explain some common challenges to our growing kiddos. So not only can you help your kid learn about what’s so great about being unique, maybe you can inspire them to drag you out for a fishing trip to find some trout of their own! Patty the Palomino is available at a wide range of booksellers, but it looks like Amazon can get it to your door well before Father’s Day, and you’d be helping benefit Veterans’ healing journeys in the process! We’ll call it a win-win-win.