Check it out

Father may sometimes know best, but he could learn a lot about parenting,

fatherhood and how to be a great dad with books from Newport Beach

libraries.

For fathers-to-be, Alan Thicke, who played one of TV’s most memorable

dads on “Growing Pains,” provides a witty countdown to childbirth in “How

Men Have Babies, The Pregnant Father’s Survival Guide.” Along with useful

information, Thicke offers mischievous commentary, guy talk and wisdom

from celebrity pals Jason Alexander, Kevin Costner, Cuba Gooding Jr. and

Wayne Gretzky in this lighthearted look at the nine-month prelude to

fatherhood.

Another TV celebrity looks at the joys and perils of parenting from a

male perspective in “Don’t Make Me Stop This Car!: Adventures in

Fatherhood.” In this new memoir by genial “Today” show weatherman Al

Roker, you’ll find frank discussions about infertility, adoption, divorce

and the challenges of balancing a high-profile career and raising

daughters from two marriages.

Author, lawyer and television game show host Ben Stein serves up another

tale about new daddyhood in “Tommy & Me,” an intimate account about

adopting a son in midlife and how it transformed the values of a

previously self-absorbed superachiever. Fans of cable TV’s “Win Ben

Stein’s Money” are sure to enjoy this look at what parenthood can teach

us about time, sharing, patience and priorities.

There’s no celebrity voice in Better Homes and Gardens’ “New Father

Book,” a real-world guide for new dads that features practical tips for

getting through the early days. From being a good prenatal dad to

fostering children’s emotional health, this overview of parenting from

birth through the preschool years provides a concise crash course for

dads who take fatherhood seriously.

Both dads and moms may find guidelines for helping their sons become

happy, well-balanced men in “Raising Boys.” If you think male and female

children have no differences other than those we give them through

conditioning, check out this guide to understanding what makes boys tick

for a different view of gender distinctions.

Fathers are teachers, disciplinarians and protectors for daughters as

well as sons, and readers may explore all these roles in “Daddies and

Daughters.” Alternately funny, sad and moving, this uplifting collection

of real-life interviews reveals much about how dads can influence their

little girls.

Humans may be able to learn a bit about the essence of fathering from

wolves, beavers and sea horses, observes psychoanalyst Jeffrey Masson in

“The Emperor’s Embrace.” From this account of dads in the animal kingdom,

explore a gamut of behaviors--from that of emperor penguins, who incubate

the eggs of their young on their feet, to household dogs who’ve been

robbed of parenting skills by domestication, to bears who don’t even

recognize their own offspring.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with

Debbie Walker.