Rafer is excited for his birthday and is looking forward to receiving a birthday card in the mail from his less than present father. When he checks the mailbox, he starts to think that his father forgot and his mood is ruined. That it until he realizes the reason he did not get a birthday card is because his father wanted to spend the day with him in person. I think this is a cute story and I'm glad it had a happy ending. I personally didn't think it was too special in anyway, but it wasn't terrible. It provides perspective for children who may have absentee fathers, but overall it was forgettable. ( )

It was Rafer's birthday and he has a good feeling when he woke up that he would get a letter from his dad. His parents are divorced and he checked the mailbox every hour to see if his dad had sent a letter. Rafer got more than a letter for his birthday, he got to spend a surprising afternoon with his dad. Even though Rafer was treated so well on his birthday by his brother and mother, he still had that longing to see his dad. Divorce puts an emptiness in the heart of children. Divorce is not something that is easy to deal with. Especially at the age Rafer seems to be, having to decide whose house to go to for what holiday or who to spend your own birthday with truly puts anxiety on the child. Refer did a great job at handling this pressure. He was anxious at first, but trusted that his dad would write him. At the end, Rafer was rewarded for his trust by getting to visit with his dad for the day and told his dad to walk slow so because he wanted this day to be long. ( )