These books have Dad in mind:
MESSAGES FROM MY FATHER, by Calvin Trillin (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18).
Trillin, author and Time columnist, writes a wry memoir of his quirky father, Abe.
DANCE REAL SLOW by Michael Grant Jaffe (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $20).
This novel explores a part-time lawyer's experiences as a single father and the joys and difficulties that his new responsibilities bring.
FAMILY MAN: Fatherhood, Housework, and Gender Equity, by Scott Coltrane (Oxford, $27.50).
Coltrane draws on sociological research and interviews to examine the evolution of shared parenting, suggesting that fathers who participate more in child-rearing will themselves be positively transformed.
FATHERS' DAUGHTERS: Transforming the Father_Daughter Relationship, by Maureen Murdock (Fawcett Columbine, $11, paperback).
This book explores the personal and cultural complexities of being "Daddy's Little Girl."
WHEN I THINK ABOUT MY FATHER: Sons and Daughters Remember, edited by Mary Kay Shanley (Sta-Kris, Inc, $14.95).
This richly illustrated collection of 48 essays is written by the children of well-known fathers such as Walt Disney and Gerald Ford.
FISHING WITH DAD, by Michael J. Rosen (Artisan, $14.95).
In blank verse, Rosen tells a lyrical tale of a childhood of Sundays spent fishing with his father. Now the two take the author's son to the same spots, sharing the same lessons.
DRIVING MY FATHER: A Daughter's Story, by Susan Wicks (Basic Books, $18).
Author/poet Wicks writes of her mother's death and its effect on her close relationship with her father.
A MAN CALLED DADDY: A Celebration of Fatherhood, by Hugh O' Neill (Rutledge Hill Press $12.95).
This is a humorous reminiscence for veteran dads as well as an empathetic guide for new fathers.
ANOTHER WAY HOME: A Single Father's Story, by John Thorndike (Crown $24).
The story of a 24-year-old Peace Corps volunteer in 1967 who brings his child back from El Salvador to raise him alone.
_ Gina Vivinetto