Bio on the Author

Lisa Harper is a well-known speaker and author. Lisa asked God to let her adopt a child who, for whatever reason, might never have a chance at a two-parent family. When on a mission trip to Haiti, she met Missy and fell in love with her. Missy’s first mother had died when she was very small; Missy was very sick and in desperate need of medical attention in the United States. Because of her health challenges, Missy was categorized as a special needs adoption and, therefore, was hard to place. Missy was the perfect candidate for Lisa to adopt. A few years later, Lisa was able to bring Missy home. With proper treatment,  healthcare, and medication, Missy is strong and thriving, and her health challenges are virtually undetectable. Lisa travels all over the world speaking at women’s conferences, and sometimes Missy gets to travel with her. Lisa is the author of numerous Bible studies and a variety of Christian living books, in addition to this children’s fiction book. Who’s Your Daddy?: Discovering the Awesomest Daddy Ever is a recounting of a true mother-daughter conversation about God that took place between Lisa and Missy.

Book Summary

Missy is a young girl who was adopted by her a single mother, Lisa Harper, who is the author of the book. One day when Missy was at school, a classmate asked her if she had a daddy with whom she could do special things. Missy was puzzled with his question and even more surprised at his reaction to her answer that she only had a mother.

When Missy’s mom picked her up from school that afternoon, she asked her mother about what her friend asked, so they went to the park for Missy’s mommy to explain. Mommy told Missy that she did have a daddy, and his name was Daddy God. He knew all about her before she was born and loved her so very much. Missy did not understand why she could not see him, so Mommy explained that Daddy God is invisible and cannot be seen like human daddies with “skin on.” He may not be able to take her places and do special things with her, but He promised that he would always be with her and that he would never stop loving her.

Missy thought about what her mommy said, and then she asked if Daddy God was everyone’s daddy? Mommy replied, “Yes, but some people don’t know He’s their heavenly Father yet.” Missy then asked if kids who already had skin daddies could also have Daddy God. Mommy explained that they could, and then she told that sometimes skin daddies and skin mommies needed to be away from their kids for long periods of time. Missy was curious if skin daddies and skin mommies always came back to home. Lisa said that sometimes they did not always get to return to their kids. Sometimes they die, or divorce happens, or the children need to live somewhere else for a while; however, even in the event of separation, the kids with skin daddies and skin mommies would never be alone because Daddy God would be right there with them. Mommy reminded Missy that her first mommy, Mama Marie, loved her very much but had to leave her to go to heaven. Mommy and Missy talked about divorce and the pain that separation causes, but Mommy was very quick to assure Missy that she did not need to figure it all out right now.

That night, they sat on their porch and watched the sunset. Mommy reminded Missy that when she got sad about anything, she could go right to Daddy God and tell him everything. Then she could imagine Daddy God’s great, big arms around her.

The next day, Missy went back to school and told her entire class about Daddy God. She told them that he was invisible but perfect and if they had a skin daddy already they still could have Daddy God.

My Thoughts on the Book

The book is very cute and super sweet. I love the bright colors, the simple language, and the easy to understand analogies. Mommy and Missy are very relatable and transparent. While the wording is probably a little different than how most families would answer to a child, Lisa handles the very hard questions that Missy asks with finesse and charm, while helping the reader clearly understand what is being talked about.

The term “skin daddies” is an interesting way to explain human parents to small children when comparing them to the invisible Daddy God. It differentiates between the physical and the invisible, leaving little to no questions as to what she is referring.

The description of divorce is creative. Lisa describes it as “when husbands and wives grow hurt sticks on their hearts and stop living together because they keep poking each other.” While simplistic in explanation, it does an adequate job describing divorce to a small child without delving into the ugliness that often leads up to a divorce.

I love how Lisa reminded Missy that “Daddy God is available to all, but some don’t know him yet” and encouraged her to go to school the next day and tell her whole class about how awesome Daddy God is. I think she could have been clearer in her explanation of how Daddy God actually becomes a person’s father, but since this book is written for young children, there is grace. It would be very simple for an adult to elaborate on what is written and clarify that God is the creator of all things and loves all people so much that he sent his only Son to die on the cross for them (John 3:16). God only becomes their father when he is asked. He truly is available to all who seek him; thus, that leads me to agree with the author that “Daddy God is available to all, but some don’t know him yet.”

A Target Audience of the Book

Children of all ages are the target audience; however, children aged 6-12 would probably identify with the book more than children who are older or younger. There are several very specific audiences that will find a special appeal in this book:

  • children who are adopted by single mothers

  • foster parents and foster children

  • single parent homes

  • military families with a parent deployed

  • divorced families

  • families separated by the death of a parent or loved one

  • people whose primary job involves working with adoptive and foster children of all ages

Recommendation

This book has my wholehearted recommendation. It is definitely a book for the houses of adopted children, foster parents to help comfort foster children or people whose primary job involves working with adoptive children of all ages.  It would also be a great addition to any child’s library because it would be a terrific conversation starter for any family. Who’s Your Daddy? is the perfect gift for a variety of occasions and can be used to start discussions with children who may be struggling with the loss of a parent or feeling alone.