Tender

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Harry Baker

• Publisher: Canongate Books
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Literature
• eBook ISBN:
  9781837264643
• Subtopic: Poetry
• Index: Literature

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'I was moved to tears and then laughing in seconds' DAVINA McCALL
'An exquisite, funny look into the life and love of a new dad' HOLLIE McNISH
'A gorgeous new book from the wordsmith of warmth' MICHAEL MULLEN
'Capture[s] the wonder, joy and trepidation of being a new parent wonderfully' JOHN BISHOP

Tender is the hilarious and heart-warming new collection from World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker, which sees him turn his attention to the topic of fatherhood for the first time.

It captures all the tiny, fragile, perfect moments of new life and, with it, new parenthood. Full of sleepless wonder and with his characteristic wit and warmth, Harry Baker offers snapshots into the intense first 100 days with his son as they get to know each other.

A yawn from a tiny pink mouth, a kind word from a stranger on a difficult day, the weight of a body sleeping against your chest – parents will recognise both themselves and their children in Tender and find consolation in this collection.

'Made me simultaneously broody and deeply relieved to sleep through the night' GEORGIE JONES
'A book that makes me feel really proud to be a dad and slightly smug that I read poetry' IAIN STIRLING

Table of contents

• Cover
• Also by Harry Baker
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1. Midwife Pt. 1
• 2. Crying
• 3. For the Record
• 4. Midwife Pt. 2
• 5. Panic
• 6. What’s He Called?
• 7. Screaming
• 8. First Dad Joke
• 9. Does He Need Changing?
• 10. Big Dad Energy
• 11. Has He Got Wind?
• 12. Checking In
• 13. Does He Want Milk?
• 14. Almost
• 15. Paternity Leave
• 16. Power(nap) Couple
• 17. Pride
• 18. First Playlist
• 19. Symbiosis
• 20. Pillow Talk
• 21. Parenthood in Seven Words
• 22. Special Delivery
• 23. First Bottle
• 24. Hold Tight
• 25. Nana
• 26. Swim It All Back to You
• 27. Professional Help
• 28. Sucker
• 29. Still to Come
• 30. Subscribed
• 31. Little by Little
• 32. Hat Trick
• 33. Inception
• 34. Clunk
• 35. My Friend’s Dad
• 36. Gassed
• 37. Taking It All In
• 38. James
• 39. Overly Invested
• 40. Big Poppa
• 41. Sweet Dreams
• 42. Things That Make You Cry
• 43. Nothing Went Wrong Today
• 44. Six-Week Check-Up
• 45. Cheese
• 46. The Plan
• 47. The Reality
• 48. We Can Make It if We Try
• 49. Wetting the Bed
• 50. The Greatest
• 51. Health Visitor
• 52. Incognito
• 53. Hang in There
• 54. What I Miss Most
• 55. First Night Away
• 56. Uninterrupted
• 57. Morning Person
• 58. First Vaccinations
• 59. Mastitis
• 60. Gone
• 61. Your Mum Can’t Stop Thinking about Gaza
• 62. No Two Days Are the Same
• 63. Llama Pyjamas
• 64. Gonna Show You How
• 65. Open Wide
• 66. There’s No Use Crying over Spilt Milk
• 67. Little Rat
• 68. Child’s Pose
• 69. Family Bath
• 70. A Helpful Reminder
• 71. First Illness
• 72. Echo
• 73. And I Cannot Lie
• 74. Double Dip
• 75. Levelling Up
• 76. Back to Normal
• 77. Seeming Yourself
• 78. Priorities
• 79. Champagne and Baby Calpol
• 80. Popcorn
• 81. Getting Better
• 82. Paradise
• 83. It Takes a Village
• 84. All Clear
• 85. The Sling
• 86. The Horse
• 87. We All Used to Be Babies
• 88. Handle With Care
• 89. Is It What You Expected?
• 90. Toasty
• 91. Witching Hour
• 92. You Won’t Remember Any of This
• 93. Piece of Work
• 94. Fall Back
• 95. Getting Used to It
• 96. Relative Time
• 97. Hash Browns
• 98. Fatherhood Has Changed Me
• 99. Tender
• 100. Blessing
• Epilogue: Things I’ve Learnt in the First 100 Days of Parenting
• Acknowledgements