It's here! It's here! Imagine me blowing one of those long, thin horns from Camelot with banners flying and fireworks bursting because that's how I feel! Happy Birthday to Your Daddy Was Just Like You!

On March 1st, I held my newest baby, a hard copy of Your Daddy Was Just Like You, in my hands for the first time. They shook as I turned the pages. This mother/grandmother love story has been a long time coming--over 7 years. Thanks to Susan Kochan, my editor, who saw its potential, it's born!

The idea for the book came from watching my son Max trying so hard to be a big guy and do all the stuff big guys could do, with his chubby cheeks red from exertion or frustration. It's my way of saying, "don't worry, you'll make it....your daddy wasn't always so strong, or smart or brave. He had to learn and you will, too!"

While the idea and words for a picture book may come from the author, it's the pictures that bring it to life. David Walker is a master at showing emotion..joyful bubbles float up from the bathroom scene; pouty daddy bashes about during his wild days, sad daddy pouts in the corner during Time Out--looking so perfectly adorable you want to laugh and cry at the same time! David generously shared sketches and discussed the illustration process during an interview last year. Check it out!

For me, the great joy in being an author comes from seeing kids and their people enjoy my books. My girlfriend Teri gave me sweet taste of that joy when she brought her nieces, Sofia and Isabella, to a recent book signing in Tulsa. I only had the review copy of Your Daddy then, but they wanted to read it and so we did. At the end of every "Just Like You," Isabella pointed to herself and said, "Just like me!" with a huge smile, "I do that...and that...or that!. The best birthday gift a book could receive:

Happy Birthday! Your Daddy Was Just Like You ...and you and you and you!

• KELLY BENNETT •