My dad, my rock

Oliver never met his grandpa. He wonders what he would tell Grandpa if the two of them could meet, even once. Oliver decides that he would tell him about an amazing man that Grandpa never met: Oliver’s dad, Grandpa’s own son. In this touching and heartfelt story, you will be taken on a journey of what it means to be a dad and to be the master of your own destiny.

Grant from the Brazilian government available for international publishers. Contact us for more details.

Rights sold: Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean, world English, simplified Chinese, world French, Spanish (Chile), Turkish & Italian languages

Select Reviews:

⭐ “A beautifully illustrated, touching tale of love.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review) + Editor’s Pick + Kirkus Best Book of July 2022 + Kirkus 100 Best Books of 2022 

⭐“A heartfelt and moving ode to the father-son bond. A genuine delight.”

Publishers Weekly (Booklife), starred review and Editor’s Pick 

⭐“Such a heartwarming book. Beautifully written and illustrated.”

– author-illustrator Eric Fan (from The Fan Brothers) 

⭐“Santos offers a poignant picture of multigenerational fatherhood in this tender tribute. Forlati’s artfully textural illustrations soothe, aptly matching the story’s emotional acuity. ”

Publishers Weekly (a PW 2022 Children’s Book for Father’s Day Pick)

⭐“A heartwarming picture book about father-son love that carries from one generation to the next. The illustrations are gorgeous and charming.”

Foreword Reviews, starred review

Awards & special mentions:

⭐ International Latino Books Awards 2022:

Best Children’s Fiction Picture Book (Honor)

⭐ International Latino Books Awards 2022:

Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book (Honor)

⭐ Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2022

⭐ Publishers Weekly:

PW 2022 Children’s Book for Father’s Day Pick

Author & Illustrator 

Victor D. O. Santos is an internationally acclaimed Brazilian American picture book author whose books – which include the White Ravens titles What Makes Us Human and People Are Weird – have been translated into over 50 languages. He has collaborated with such renowned illustrators as ALMA-winner ISOL (Insomnia), Iwona Chmielewska (Finito), Catarina Sobral (People Are Weird), Dena Seiferling (Things I Learned from my Dog), Mara Cerri (coming in Spring 2027), and Amanda Mijangos (coming in Fall 2027).

Visit his website at www.authorvictorsantos.com

Anna Forlati is an Italian illustrator and professor of illustration in the prestigious illustration program Ars in Fabula, in Italy. She has illustrated over 30 children’s picture books and has participated in several international exhibitions, including “The Illustrators Exhibition” at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (2014) and Illustrarte (2018). She is the illustrator of two other picture books written by Victor D.O. Santos: Before I Forget (a dPICTUS Outstanding Picture Book of 2026) and What Makes Us Human (a 2023 White Ravens book).