Dad Suggests was created so that we could share with others all of the things that we most love sharing with our own children.

One of the great joys of being a father of two has been discovering bits and pieces of the vast amount of creative content in the world designed to entertain children and bring them joy.

Another fantastically-selfish joy of fatherhood has been rediscovering things from my own childhood and sharing those with my children as well.

In 2018 I started a website called DadSuggests.com to recommend the books and games our family enjoyed together - as well as to share a few rambling dad thoughts.

In 2022 we opened the first location of Dad Suggests Books in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was a small shop but it was packed full of the thoughtfully-curated kids books and games we love.

And in the summer of 2025 we opened the doors of our flagship location of Dad Suggests Books - complete with many nooks for families to get comfortable and read together. And it’s also home to our 2 bookstore cats - Pokko and Ponyo.

Our mission is to help you find content that will inspire your kids and spark their imagination and their creativity. Providing a childhood full of magic and wonder is the noblest mission there is. And there’s no better way to accomplish this than reading and playing with your kids.

We sincerely hope that, while visiting, you might discover or rediscover something to share and enjoy with your own family.

- Ryan

For an even deeper exploration of why we do what we do on Dad Suggests, make sure to check out the following interviews Ryan has done throughout the years:

Here Wee Read
MiLOWE Kids
Homeschool Together Podcast

And please enjoy the following guest article Ryan wrote:

3 Brilliant Picture Books about Music and Passion