Children with parents in the military do face unique challenges. In When Your Daddy’s a Soldier, the feelings and experiences of a young boy with an active duty father are portrayed in an age appropriate way. The strong connection between a soldier and his young son is clearly shown in both the text and illustrations. The additional emotional burdens that fall on all members of a military family are also addressed. This book belongs in collections that serve children of military families.

While about 80% of active duty service members are male, the way this story is told excludes both the female service members as well as the daughters of service members. Female characters (in particular mothers) in the book are portrayed as not coping well.