Tell Me a Tattoo Story

by Alison McGhee, Eliza Wheeler (Illustrator)

Overview

“Parents with or without tattoos will be touched by [this] heartwarming tale about sharing your past with your children—it leaves a mark” (Real Simple).

It’s after dinner and a little boy wants a story from his father. It’s story he’s heard many times before, one etched all over his father’s body. So, dad once again tells his little son the story behind each of his tattoos, and together they go on a beautiful journey through family history.

There’s a tattoo from a favorite book his mother used to read him, one from something his father used to tell him, and one from the longest trip he ever took. And there is a little heart with numbers inside—which might be the best tattoo of them all. Tender pictures by the New York Times–bestselling illustrator Eliza Wheeler complement this lovely ode to all that's indelible—ink and love.</

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452130750
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	07/26/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	755,010
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Alison McGhee is the New York Times bestselling author of Someday, Little Boy, and Making a Friend. She lives in Minneapolis and Vermont.

Eliza Wheeler studied art and design at the University of Wisconsin– Stout, and moved to Los Angeles to begin creating children's books. She is the author and illustrator of several acclaimed books for young readers, including the New York Times bestseller Miss Maple's Seeds.

Editorial Reviews

Wheeler's lush, detailed images beautifully dramatize each moment from the father's past, and we move seamlessly between the present to these memories.

The New York Times Book Review - Edan Lepcuki

01/11/2016
A preschooler is fascinated by his father’s elaborate tattoos and the personal history behind them. A dragon tattoo prompts Dad to recall how his mother would read him a beloved book “over and over.” A desert scene takes Dad back to his military service (“the longest trip I ever took”), when he and a line of grunts trudged across a sun-baked landscape. But Dad and his “little man” agree that their favorite tattoo is a small heart, right over the man’s real heart, which contains his son’s birth date. Wheeler’s (Wherever You Go) cutaways to the past are evocative and imaginatively framed, but McGhee’s (The Case of the Missing Donut) decision to give Dad the only voice in the book—he’s both the storyteller and articulator of his son’s questions (“What do you mean, this one’s your favorite?”)—may leave readers wondering why the boy isn’t speaking for himself. Regardless, the premise and pictures make this a deeply touching story—and with its ink-proud, scruffily handsome paterfamilias, it’s right on trend as well. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"A love story between father and son."—Scary Mommy

"A love story between father and son."—Scary Mommy

"A fresh, contemporary take on the bond between images, storytelling, and, yes, hipster dads."-Booklist

"A fresh, contemporary take on the bond between images, storytelling, and, yes, hipster dads."-Booklist

"Parents with or without tattoos will be touched by the heartwarming tale about sharing your past with your children-it leaves a mark."—Real Simple

"Parents with or without tattoos will be touched by the heartwarming tale about sharing your past with your children-it leaves a mark."—Real Simple

"Each memory tells the larger story of a man who loves and values his family."—Kirkus Reviews

"Each memory tells the larger story of a man who loves and values his family."—Kirkus Reviews

"A fun read. the tender story will resonate with young audiences."-School Library Journal

"A fun read. the tender story will resonate with young audiences."-School Library Journal

"A tale of love and ink and the staying power that both promise."—Shelf Awareness

"A tale of love and ink and the staying power that both promise."—Shelf Awareness

"Could give kids an opportunity to learn about their own parents' epic designs."-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Could give kids an opportunity to learn about their own parents' epic designs."-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Here, tattoos are emblems of personal history, as a father describes to his son what inspired each one... lush, detailed images beautifully dramatize each moment from the father's past."—The New York Times

"Here, tattoos are emblems of personal history, as a father describes to his son what inspired each one... lush, detailed images beautifully dramatize each moment from the father's past."—The New York Times

"Highlights the connections between images and storytelling."—Houston Family

"Highlights the connections between images and storytelling."—Houston Family

"Makes very plain the love that is behind each tattoo memory."-Kirkus Reviews

"Makes very plain the love that is behind each tattoo memory."-Kirkus Reviews

"A deeply touching story... and right on trend as well."—Publishers Weekly

"A deeply touching story... and right on trend as well."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

04/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—This is a story about how a young boy learns all about his father's life when he asks to see his tattoos. McGhee sets the stage for a fun read. The boy, "little man," first wants to hear about the dragon tattoo on his dad's right shoulder. The text explains that this winged creature is from a favorite childhood book. An accompanying illustration shows a picture of Dad as a young child sitting on his mom's lap in a country pasture underneath laundry flapping in the breeze, while listening intently to the book. The pen-and-ink illustrations look like they could be tattoos. Wheeler adeptly captures Dad's special family bonds. His forearm bears the mantra "Be Kind." The accompanying illustration shows Dad as a young boy with his father rescuing a baby bird that fell from its nest. Artwork complements the story well. Text is simple and lends itself to discussion. The story continues with the milestones in Dad's life via the tattoos. On his right upper arm, Dad has an intricate pattern that includes flowers, marking the importance of meeting his wife (the boy's mom). Another design on his side represents service overseas in the military. Of course, there is a tiny little heart with a date, which not surprisingly marks his son's birthday. The tattoos tell a story about the life of a father who loves his family. VERDICT The tender story will resonate with young audiences. The cultural relevance of the tattoo phenomena is a plus.—Robin Sofge, Alexandria Library, VA

School Library Journal

2016-03-16
A father tells his son about the tattoos that mark milestones in his life. The entire text is composed of the dad's monologue—"this one's from my favorite book that my mom used to read to me. / Did she read it to me over and over and over? / She sure did"—but the son's questions and obvious wonder are more than evident in his eyes and body language. A left-forearm tattoo is a reminder of his father's wisdom: "Be Kind." And one of some flowers, a Ferris wheel, and fireworks brings the dad back to the day he met a pretty girl with a wonderful smile. A tattoo on his side commemorates the longest trip he ever took. The turn of the page reveals him as a soldier. And a tiny little heart above his own? That's just a heart inscribed with "somebody's birthday," and it happens to be both father's and son's favorite. As the father is telling these stories, the little family is tenderly getting the boy ready for bed. Wheeler's fine-lined illustrations, done in India ink with dip pens and watercolors, recall picture books of the 1970s in both feel and color (though the father does the dishes while the mother writes in the next room; all three are white). The homey compositions make very plain the love that is behind each tattoo memory, the father following in his parents' footsteps in being the kind of present and available parent they exemplified. Love that is skin-deep. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews