A bedtime picture book about the little hands that watch a dad work, and grow up wanting to build, fix, and hold the world just like him.
"A bedtime story for the kids whose first superheroes wear work boots."
"I wrote this for my nephews, Easton, Hayden, Aiden, and Liam. That's their dad up on the roof in the rain. That's their Papa, my own dad, down at the furnace. Two family businesses, both in this book now, permanently. The boys are too little to know it yet. But it will get read to them at bedtime, and one day they will find their own dad in the pictures. That is the whole reason this book exists."
Where's Dada working today? When's he coming home? And the little hands already trying to build, fix, and hold the world the way his do.
"My son pointed at the dad in the book and said 'that's you.' I've read a lot of kids' books. None of them did that."
"As the wife of a tradesperson and the mom of two little boys, ages 2 and 4, I hear a lot of questions. Where is Dada working today? When is Dada coming home? When they're not asking about him, they're running around with their toy tools, pretending to be just like him. If you have a little one who loves asking what their tradesperson parent does all day, this book was written for them."
I wrote the words, then chased them into a song. Same heart as the book. Free to listen, anywhere.
A few hundred likes, comments, and shares in the first days.
Written to be handed down, and built to last thousands of bedtimes.
For the bedtimes that go by too fast.
"Bought it for my dad on Father's Day and he had to set it down. Forty years welding, first time I've seen him cry."
The 50 Founding Readers are closed now, their names printed inside the first edition forever. But every reader since keeps joining the growing Reader Wall. Buy the book, and your name goes up with them as an Early Reader.
The first-edition hardcover + the free activity kit
Read it together. If it doesn't earn a place on your child's shelf, tell us and we'll make it right. The risk is ours, not yours.
Ron Smith grew up in his family's HVAC business and has spent the last 15 years beside families who built their companies with their hands. He wrote Hands Like Daddy's for his nephews, Easton, Hayden, Aiden, and Liam, for his brothers-in-law who are those dads now, and for the kid he used to be, waiting on the same truck to come home.
"Two family businesses, both in this book now, permanently. Someday the boys will find their own dad in the pictures. That's the whole reason it exists."
Published by Cordis House, a small imprint building books for the people who hold up the world quietly.
The first edition ships August 25, 2026. Order now and you're reserved in the first printing.
Written for roughly ages 2 to 7, and for the grown-ups reading it aloud. A first bedtime book and a keepsake to hand down.
Yes. Sturdy, full-color, printed to survive a thousand bedtimes. The proof copies are already in hand.
The Shelf Guarantee: if it doesn't earn a place on your child's shelf, tell us and we'll make it right.
Ordering here reserves a first-edition copy before the wider launch, gets you the free activity kit, and puts your name on the Reader Wall. Amazon opens later in the summer if you'd rather wait.
The first edition ships August 25. Order your copy and claim your spot on the wall.
Order the hardcover · $24.99 →Not ready to bring it home yet? Grab the free activity kit and follow along.
