cover image The Dad Zone: Reports from the Tender, Bewildering, and Hilarious World of Fatherhood

The Dad Zone: Reports from the Tender, Bewildering, and Hilarious World of Fatherhood

Michael Burkett. Simon & Schuster, $16.5 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-671-79890-1

Burkett, a writer for the Arizona New Times --as well as a father of two--has culled his ``Dad Zone'' columns here and added new anecdotes, poems, essays and other tidbits. The result is a wacky yet touching look at fatherhood in the 1990s. Rarely more than two or three pages long, the entries discuss birth (``And Baby Makes Four''), death (``Jesus Swiped My Goldfish'') and a lot in between, such as saving money on Halloween costumes (`` . . . fun, zip-budget costume ideas include hobo, match girl, ghetto child, nudist, cardboard box robot'') and cooking for kids (he calls this ``Mean Cuisine''), which covers delectables such as N'Mores and Official Toxic Avenger Squeeze Tube Dessert Sticks. The book would make a gift for veteran or rookie parents in need of laughter or just a bit of inspiration. (June)