Slog's dad

Almond, D. (2011). Slog's Dad. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Interest level: Grades 5-8

Reading level: 3+

Slog's dad is dead, but he promised Slog he'd return in the spring. Having both legs amputated due to cancer Slog's dad soon dies. When Slog spots a man who resembles his dad on a park bench the first spring after his father's death he's certain it really is his dad who's come back to fulfill his promise. Slog's best friend David is not so sure about that. If this isn't really Slog's dad, how can he possibly know all the things he does about their life, such as what his job had been before he died, his wife's name, the songs he used to sing, and that he always said he'd follow the garbage smell back to their house from heaven?

This brief volume, written by David Almond and illustrated by Dave McKean, is part novel and part graphic novel. The two forms serve almost as alternating chapters rather than as one cohesive piece, offering a unique format similar to that of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. This is a touching read, with Slog's grief quietly but profoundly felt both through Almond's words and McKean's illustrations. There is no neat wrap up here. In the end we are left to wonder whether Slog's dad really did return or if it was possible a missing man suffering from amnesia who had read about Slog's dad's passing instead. In the end it really doesn't matter. What matters is what Slog believes. Some may find the dialect hard to follow. Recommend to more mature readers who are interested in questions about death and afterlife.