FATHER’S DAY BOOKS

∼ A Roundup ∼

REVIEWS:

e

YOU’RE THE COOLEST DAD IN THE BOX
Written by Rose Rossner
Illustrated by Gareth Williams 
(Sourcebooks Wonderland; $9.99, Ages 0-3)

This fun new addition to the USA Today bestselling Punderland series of board books is perfect for Father’s Day. Little DIYers may not grasp some of the puns but they will be able to grasp the die-cut handle to carry around the book like a pro. Parents or caregivers can easily explain the wordplay while trying to make up their own. The illustrations help demonstrate the pun. The below stanza depicts a level sitting on a shelf.

You’re on another level,
how you balance sweet and cool.
No one else measures up
to the ways you rock and rule.

The pleasing personified tools in the art reinforce the message of love and admiration a child has for their dad, and the rhyming test makes this an ideal read-aloud to celebrate fathers year round. You’re The Coolest Dad in The Box also makes a great new dad gift.

BOXER BABY BATTLES BEDTIME!
Written by Mia Wenjen
Illustrated by Kai Gietzen
(Eifrig Publishing; $18.99 HC, $12.99 Paperback, Ages 3 and up)

This baby is not going down easily and puts up an impressive fight (a kid-friendly boxing match that is) to avoid taking a nap in this adorable picture book. Wenjen’s created a relatable tale with a twist ending that will delight children and parents alike.

Inspired by her own experience boxing, the author cleverly infuses the sport’s popular terminology to tell this funny story conveyed in three rounds. Readers can find the spot-on idioms in a glossary in the back matter along with Wenjen’s author note.

I didn’t notice the pup carrying the round cards until halfway through my first read and appreciated how the story is broken down that way. I don’t want to give away too much by saying what each round consisted of, but suffice it to say, Boxer Baby gives it her all and then some! She is determined to be the last baby standing which means Dad will face a challenging nap time.

The artwork by debut picture book illustrator, Gietzen, brings energy to the story and contrasts the child’s raging emotions against those of her calm and accommodating father. While there’s no referee, there’s the humorous voice of the narrator describing the battle that Boxer Baby undertakes when her mom goes out. This homage to the endurance of the stay-at-home dad reminds me of my husband. While he held down a job, he always remained a hands-on father at home, never shirking his parenting responsibilities just like Boxer Baby’s father. I admire this exhausted dad’s fortitude. So who do you think will be the winner?

DADDY, TELL ME A STORY
Written by Kathleen Long Bostrom
Illustrated by Ela Smietanka
(WorthyKids; $18.99, Ages 4-7)

Kathy Bostrom is a storytelling pro. She is adept at capturing a child’s perspective and her latest picture book is no exception. In this charming story, readers meet a dad and his daughter at bedtime. When she asks for a story and he replies which one, she tells him he can make it up. “You always tell the best stories!”

And so the tale weaving begins. The father makes up a story about a queen and Sophie, the little girl, says, “Make her a princess.” He invents a pink unicorn as a character, but Sophie envisions a purple dragon with orange strips and golden wings. As the constantly revised bedtime story progresses, Daddy pretends to be scared eliciting warm reassurances from his spunky daughter. Together the pair work collaboratively as Sophie builds on what her father shares. He of course is amenable to helping in whatever way he can as the story evolves.

When the tale ends, Sophie decides that being a princess is boring. That’s when she comes up with a new ending sure to please everyone. Bostrom bookends this tale by having Sophie once again compliment her father’s storytelling ability before falling asleep. I’m glad Bostrom brought readers back to the beginning emphasizing the sweet daddy-daughter relationship and their storytime routine.

The engaging text marries nicely with Smietanka’s digital art. Colors are dazzling where they should be and become more muted as Sophie moves closer to drifting off. She’s incorporated upbeat elements into many of the spreads that children will enjoy noting. Bostrom encourages parents and caregivers to invite children to create their own story together.

BACK HOME: Story Time with My Father
Written by Arlène Elizabeth Casimir
Illustrated by Ken Daley
(Candlewick Press; $18.99, Ages 4-8)

This is one of those books that invites multiple readings not only because of the engaging and touching lyrical text but also because the art reaches out and wraps you in its arms. I was pulled into this picture book about a young Haitian American girl, Lune, whose father’s stories are about his birthplace, his homeland or “lakay” a Haitian word meaning back home.

In the rich colorful stories of his childhood, the father recounts episodes from growing up in Haiti. They include humor like the boy falling on his bottom after attempting to get mangoes off a tree. “Sometimes the stories are memories … colored with joy and sorrow.” Such is the memory of his fierce and charming mother who did whatever it took to provide for her family. The medicine man story tells of how a family’s love and community can help an ill child as much or even more “than the medicine in his pouch.”

One particular spread stayed with me, lush with jewel tones depicting the girl imagining what “lackay” was like for her father. It was an unfamiliar land for her though it was brought to life by her father’s recollections. Golden light shines on her Mommy saying  it’s late and time to go to sleep but Lune is “going to wait for Daddy.” Her father holds multiple jobs, saving up for a house while also sending money home to his parents in Haiti. Yet, no matter how long he’s worked or how tired he is, Lune’s dad makes time to tell her stories, stories of “lackay.” Lune’s father’s tales have such a positive impact on her. The magic of a place she does not know but has experienced through her father’s stories has found its way to her heart and soon she will begin sharing stories of her own.

There is a Haitian glossary in the back matter as well as a page of Author’s Notes, one for Caregivers and Teachers and the other for kids. The first encourages “modeling and sharing our narratives.” The rewards are plentiful. Even though my parents grew up in the Bronx of the 1930s and 1940s and not the “lackay” of this story, I felt Casimir’s story spoke to me. I am grateful to know my parents’ stories and will continue to share them along with my own. The second note lets kids know they all have stories to tell. I hope this meaningful picture book will speak to all readers who can help their children understand how important stories are in our lives. Casimir’s motivating and caring words will hopefully prompt a new generation of storytellers.

WITH DAD
Written by Richard Jackson
Illustrated by Brian Floca
(Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, for ages 4–8)

★Starred Reviews – Booklist, Kirkus, The Horn Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Brian Floca, Caldecott Medalist, and Sibert Honoree shares his interpretation of With Dad, a story written by the late editor and author Richard Jackson. Floca and Jackson had been making books together for over 25 years, but sadly Jackson passed away before the artwork had begun. That left many questions unanswered but ultimately it was decided to set the story in the early 1950s and I’m so glad about that decision. Not that it would not have worked set in the present, but the nostalgic quality of the art representing the era following WWII adds to the carefree ambiance and closeness of the main characters.

The picture opens with a boy on his dad’s lap helping to drive their Jeep through a small road in the woods. That illustration beautifully captures the special father-son relationship. The pair are heading towards a campsite where they’ll experience the great outdoors by setting up camp, digging a fire pit, fishing, and catching their dinner. The excitement the dad exhibits when his son reels in a fish is exhilarating. I love how that is contrasted with how the lad feels grossed out as he learns to gut the fish before frying it. His father adds, “You’ll see,” he said, “an owl might come for those tonight.” Naturally, we want to see that so Floca skillfully shows us the owl swooping in at the end of the story.

Throughout the book, readers see how the young boy looks up to his father. The father loves spending time with his son too. That’s especially evident in the scene where the dad says they’ll sleep back to back to stay warm. What a tender moment. The story then fast-forwards to the dead of winter. Readers learn the dad is serving in the war. The child fondly thinks back to that “famous fishing trip.” All he wants is for his father to return home safely so they can pick up where they left off that memorable last summer. While this story focuses on a boy whose father is in the military, children with a parent away for myriad reasons would find this heartfelt read rewarding and reassuring.

IF YOU RUN OUT OF WORDS
Written and illustrated by Felicita Sala
(Abrams BYR; $18.99, Ages 4-8)

★Starred Reviews – Booklist, Kirkus

On the dedication page of this picture book, author-illustrator Sala writes: “To Nina, my dear girl, whose question inspired this book.” The question that the curious child in this story asks her father is a clever and interesting one.

“What happens if you run out of words? Will you have any left for me?” It makes sense that when a kid constantly sees their parent blah, blah, blahing away like the daughter in this story sees her father doing, she’d worry he might not have enough words left for her.

Needing reassurance just like the bunny gets from his mother in the classic The Runaway Bunny, the little girl in this story poses questions to her father that range from logical in the beginning to whimsical as the tale continues. This zaniness is matched by the colorfully saturated fantastical art that is a delight to explore. Sala’s illustrations for this book were made with gouache, ink, watercolor, colored pencils, and oil pastels and are full of emotion. Sometimes the body language and expressions on the father’s face cracked me up.

Funny scenarios ensue based on the questions the girl asks. Some children might love it when the dad visits Elves’ Word Factory determined to show his daughter the lengths to which he’d go to replenish his word supply. Others might like when the father is under the sea and a rescue boat run by pirate mice captures him and ties him up on their vessel. Following her father’s high-sea adventure, the girl wonders if her dad will have forgotten her. That’s when he tells her that no matter the length of the journey to return to her, forgetting her would simply be impossible. He shows her that he owns an infinite amount of words. In fact, it’s the three most important ones that he whispers in her ear to meaningfully end this captivating tale of devotion.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READS:

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

HOW TO CATCH A DADDYSAURUS

MY DADDY IS A COWBOY

SUPERDADS! Animal Heroes

ALWAYS YOUR STEPDAD

THE I CAN SAY DADA BOOK

MERDADDY