I just came across a unique children’s book – it’s a good read for almost any age.  The power of a parent teaching a young child how to practice and enjoy a sport usually makes for a good story.  In the book MY DADDY TAUGHT ME TO SURF (and the partner book, MY MOMMY TAUGHT ME TO SURF) Joseph Tomarchio weaves in relevant lessons about respecting the ocean – and others. The whimsical illustrations by Shane Lasby are engaging and fresh. Even though the fine surfers in this book haven’t progressed to enhancing their rides with a paddle just yet (mmmm, fodder for a new book) we recommend this for parents or grandparents.  For families wanting to promote the love of surfing and the bonds of community, My Daddy Taught Me to Surf reminds all readers that our oceans are a gift worth preserving.

If any of you have a connection to either Joseph pr Syane please share this link. We’d love to have an interview with them. This is from their website, “Our goal is to promote the love of surfing, the passage of heritage and the bonds between parents and their children through reading and learning together.”  Right on!

About the Author: Joseph has been a father for 5 years and a surfer for 29. From the moment he learned he was going to be a father, he knew that the joys and life lessons that he experienced with surfing were one day going to be passed onto his child. This desire along with a complete inability to draw allowed him to work with his closest friend, Shane Lasby to bring together a small testament of this love for surfing and their children into a book that they both believe will help foster these lessons for any parent and child. Joseph lives and surfs in Charleston, SC with his wife Allison and son Jonah.

About the Illustrator: Shane has always been an artist of some fashion for as long as he can remember. This has always been a dream of his to share the images that his heart can set forth from his head to his hands. Growing up and surfing in Cocoa Beach, Florida has taught me exactly what Joseph and I have accomplished in this children’s book. Having two little girls of my own has also shown me the true value of what this life offers through patience and perseverance, but all the while keeping me very young at heart. The boy in My Daddy Taught Me to Surf is the child in all of us, still living and learning every day.