Weekend Dad

A little boy spends the weekend at his dad’s new apartment in this picture book about how things change when parents separate — and the important things that stay the same.

“This home is home because my dad is here, and it’s nothing like home because my mom isn’t here,” thinks the boy in this story when he enters his dad’s new apartment for the first time. His dad moved out on Monday and now it’s Friday night, the start of his weekend with his dad.

The boy and his dad follow their normal weekend routine — they eat eggs for breakfast, play cards and spend time at the park. And then they do the same things on Sunday. It is hard to say goodbye at the end of the weekend, but Dad gives his son a letter to remind him that, even if they can’t always be together, the boy is loved.

Naseem Hrab has written a poignant yet hopeful story, strikingly illustrated in Frank Viva’s signature style, about what happens when parents separate, and the new reality of having two homes.

Key Text Features
author’s note
writing inspiration

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

NASEEM HRAB is the award-winning author of the Otis & Peanut series, How to Party Like a Snail, Weekend Dad, and The Sour Cherry Tree, which was a Governor General’s Literary Awards winner. She loves all sorts of comedy and every kind of ice cream. Naseem lives in Toronto, Ontario.

FRANK VIVA is an award-winning illustrator and designer living and working in Toronto. His first picture book, Along a Long Road, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award and was named one of the New York Times’ 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books. His other books for children include Sea Change, which was a New York Times Editor’s Choice selection, Outstanding in the Rain and Young Frank, Architect. His art has appeared in the New York Times and on the cover of the New Yorker. He is a reviewer for the New York Times Book Review.

• Kirkus Best Picture Books of the YearCommended 2020
• Cooperative Children's Book Center, CCBC ChoicesCommended 2021
• Marilyn Baillie Picture Book AwardShort-listed 2021
• Governor General's Literary Award, Young People's Literature — Illustrated BooksShort-listed 2020
• Toronto Public Library First and BestWinner 2020

“Separation and divorce are common, and this book is a great recommendation for any family dealing with them.” — School Library Journal

“Hrab uses repetition … to simply yet powerfully establish the family’s new routine, while Viva’s line drawings, in shades of green, yellow, and rose, gently twine the child’s newly separate experiences of family.” — Publishers Weekly

“Frank Viva’s restrained hand-inked illustrations match Hrab’s prose perfectly … [F]or children – and parents – who find themselves navigating post-divorce realities, [Weekend Dad] will feel essential.” — Quill & Quire

“Viva’s illustrations capture the abundant emotional subtext with simple but effective lines. Unsparingly compassionate; an excellent addition to the collection of books about separation and divorce.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The sketchy cartoon illustrations are as simple as the story, which they reflect in this affecting story of a child of divorce.” — Booklist

“Truthful and touching, this picture book sends the reassuring message that children can be deeply loved even when parents separate.” — Horn Book