“…a book to be read by all fathers, both rookies and veterans, and anyone who wishes to understand the inner workings of the dad mind.”
Stu Lipshaw is dad to baby boy, Marcus, who continues to amaze him more and more by the day. Stu works in the publishing team at Penguin, so gets to read a wide range of fantastic books on a daily basis, and was part of the winning team at the NZ Pub Quiz Championship in 2015 - a title he bears with pride!
Click here to meet the rest of our Penguin Dad Panel and find the perfect book for your dad, as reviewed by ours!
Book review - How It Works: The Dad by Jason Hazely & Joel Morris
This is a book to be read by all fathers, both rookies and veterans, and by anyone who wishes to understand the inner workings of the dad mind.
The first few months of fatherhood are a blur of unrivalled joy, complete surprise and irrational concern. There’s so much new information to absorb, and your world changes in so many ways that it can be hard to process. From that first triumphant moment when your child is born, there’s instantly more noise, less sleep and free time almost disappears entirely as you find yourself spending hour upon hour staring at this thing you’ve created and wondering/anticipating/worrying what it might do next.
While antenatal classes teach you about the birthing process, how to change a nappy and give you a general idea of the dos and don’ts during the first few months, no one ever provides the subtle but significant advice that new fathers really need. At first you don’t notice it, but in time you realise that being a dad and doing dad things is now an unavoidable part of your identity.
That’s where the Ladybird Book for Adults comes in. In the space of just over 50 pages, How It Works: The Dad outlines what it means to be a father by using a series of simple examples that serve as both a preparatory tool for younger dads and a safe space of understanding for those who are more experienced.
Covering a vast range of topics, from communication to aspirational comparisons with the world of bees, this book provides a rare glimpse into the everyday reality of ‘The Dad’. There is humour to be found within these pages, although there are serious undertones — let’s be clear: there is nothing funny about a vasectomy.
Click here to see more Penguin Dad Panel reviews.
More books like this for your Dad:
Becky, our Penguin NZ Director, shares 5 ways to use 5 edible weeds she found in her garden with the help of Andrew Crowe's Edible Weeds Handbook!
It’s official: the internet has dubbed Conrad Fisher a ‘black cat boyfriend’. Here are a few other black cat book boyfriends to keep you swooning.
Kōrerotia te reo this Māori Language Week 2025 with our selection of Māori Language books.
For Father's Day 2025, we're celebrating how books can keep us close to our dads and dad-like figures.
Wanting to get into reading romantasy but not sure where to start? Read on for our top picks of the genre!
Take this quiz to find out which Hawthorne brother from The Inheritance Games series would be your perfect match.
Don’t know which order to read the Lottie Brooks books? Find out which to read first, and learn a little bit about each book.
Learn how to pre-order Alchemised by SenLin Yu and join the thousands of readers who will start reading it on 23 September 2025.
Want to know what books the Penguin NZ team have been reading and loving recently? Read on for our recommendations!
Want to know what books the Penguin NZ team have been reading and loving recently? Read on for our recommendations!
Check out some of the hottest YA books in stores now, from epic romantasy to sweet, unexpected romance.
From tales of Ancient Greece to epics set in the Second World War, these are the historical novels at the top of our reading piles this year.