Picture Books for Father's Day

(1) PS Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita. A little girl learns to ride a bike in her suburban Bay Area neighborhood, her father by her side until off she goes on her own. Soon enough comes the ­inevitable wobbliness and first fall (with, luckily, a soft landing in some leafy shrubbery), but Dad is there to help: "Hug-cried / Tears dried / Decide..." Will she get back on? Dad wisely lets her think about it, then "Push, goodbyed / Pump, FLY! / What pride!" Bolling's brief and inventive rhyming text perfectly conveys the action and emotions involved in an inaugural bike ride. Illustrations extend the appealing story by including a supportive dog who pulls twigs off the bike after the crash, wags its tail encouragingly as the girl considers getting back on, and gives her a big wet kiss at the end. However, the crowning elaboration on the text is the art's celebration of Black hair: Dad, wearing a T-shirt with the Pan-African flag colors, sports high-top dreads, a fade, and a chin-strap goatee, while the girl's double Afro puffs proudly poof out below her bike helmet. (Safety first, but this girl is not letting that helmet cramp her style.) When the two return home, Mom and younger brother join them for a family bike ride, little man (with dreads that match Dad's) riding in a sidecar and the dog running happily alongside. Together, indeed.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Erika Meza. A sleepy boy is nudged awake by his father for a routine Saturday trip, heading across the U.S.–Mexico border to "el Otro Lado." As they reach the Rio Grande, the father reminds his son of the Indigenous history of the land, now divided, the flag of each nation visible on opposite banks of the broad river. Once across, father and son visit their favorite restorán for breakfast; then, with mercado bags in hand, begin their errands, stopping by brightly colored shops (such as Tio Mateo's jewelry store) and picking up prescriptions, bottled water, T-shirts, sweets, and other items on their list. The trip culminates in a visit to their "gente"--families camping out on the side of the bridge, hoping to enter the U.S.--for whom most of the items on their list were purchased. Meza's gleaming watercolor and gouache illustrations magnify Bowles's bittersweet tone, capturing the compassion in the pair's venture and the underlying tension at the border in the expressions of soldiers and refugees. Spanglish ("troca"; "my primos") and shop signs in Spanish and English emphasize how culturally interconnected border towns are. With lyrical text (the Rio Grande is "a watery serpent that glints with the dawn"), Novelist Bowles's picture-book debut weaves weightier realities into a story of ordinary border-town life, and does so with a gentle hand. Waving goodbye to their friends, the father and son return home as the sunset washes the scenery with warm pinks, leaving no doubt that the dedicated pair will carry on their duty as long as the hopeful migrants wait. Concurrently published in Spanish as Mis dos pueblos fronterizos.

Reviewer: Jessica Agudelo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Bergeland. When Chuck decides he's "bored enough" to accept his dad's suggestion to start unpacking boxes in their new home, he discovers he's descended from a long line of explorers and scientists. Among them is his grandfather Charles Van Velsor Whipplethorp III, who was a "famed entomologist and world traveler." In comparison, Chuck's data-analyst dad seems rather dull. "The great Whipplethorp men, it appeared, were getting...a lot less great," reads the droll text. Chuck's dad good-naturedly accepts his son's mild disdain and encourages him in his efforts to emulate his grandfather's study of insects. Here, Bergeland's art excels, as Chuck imagines himself shrunk to the size of a beetle while preparing to capture and kill one for display. His second thoughts about the project provoke a creative solution (which wins accolades from his dad) and change his perspective on what it means to be great. Throughout, human characters are rendered in pencil, their forms incorporating the white of the page. Setting and insects, meanwhile, are illustrated with pencil and watercolor. The result is a distinctive style, and the play with scale evokes Kevin Hawkes's depictions of children shrunk, surrounded by mammoth flora, in Paul Fleischman's Weslandia (rev. 3/99). And just as with that book, Brashares's wise, warm tale delivers a lesson about individuality, belonging, and progress without resorting to preachiness.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by Jan Bajtlik. In this playful, visually appealing tale, a child and father go exploring in a car "as red as a fire engine." When not zooming through the landscape, they put on tires, wash the car, pull a trailer, observe a mechanic fixing the car, and more. Vivid colors pop off uncluttered spreads with generous white space. The imaginative twist ending comes on the final endpapers of this well-designed book.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) PS Illustrated by Charles Santoso. A lion father is proud of (read: obsessed with) his well-manicured lawn. When a dandelion brazenly sprouts, Daddy races to get rid of the eyesore...but his little cub, Sweetie, has already befriended (and named) the "flower." Dyckman's well-paced text digs into the comedic contrast between Daddy's stressed-out hysteria and Sweetie's unhurried calm. Santoso's cartoony digital illustrations enhance both the humor and the loving father-daughter relationship.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) PS Illustrated by Jami Gigot. Presented by the American Ballet Theatre. "When I grow up, I'm going to fly, just like my daddy." Ben's classmates try to guess Daddy's occupation as Ben provides more information: "he's super strong," he's "as fast as a hummingbird... / ...but slower than a sloth." Is he a pilot? A football player? A furniture mover? After an impromptu dance performance, his friends know: "Your daddy is a ballet dancer!" The all-dialogue text stays in the classroom, while Gigot's versatile illustrations move seamlessly from Ben and his friends to Ben's father on stage to Ben and Daddy together. Principal dancer for ABT, Forster offers positive messages about dance and fatherhood.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(1) PS Mina is a mouse, her nose always in a book, who lives "in her own little world where nothing ever bothered her." Her busy father brings home things he collects from the outside world, and one day he tells Mina that he has a big surprise. The page-turn reveals a massive cat, staring morosely at them. "It's a squirrel!" he declares. Forsythe's understated humor effectively conveys Mina's dilemma: when she can't sleep, her father tells her there's nothing to worry about, but looming over them both and taking up nearly every inch of their home is the cat, watching with narrowed eyes. They all manage to get along (and the cat gets a sweater!), but when a doctor visits the ailing pet--who has by now been joined by others--and names it as the feline it is, the cats pounce. (Not to worry.) Mina, much like the protagonist of Forsythe's Pokko and the Drum (rev. 1/20), is whip-smart and patiently suffers a well-intentioned but hapless parent. The illustrations are also reminiscent of Pokko with their velvety textures; palette of beautiful coppers, crimsons, and forest greens; and warm glow that emanates from nearly every spread. More, please, of Forsythe's richly imagined forest worlds.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) PS This opposites book follows one active brown-skinned toddler and stay-at-home-father throughout a busy, fun-filled day. "Up, up, up!" as Baby tries to climb out of the crib, followed on the next page by "Down!" At breakfast: "No, no, no" to scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and toast; "yes!" to blueberries. Clear, unfussy digitally painted pencil illustrations in subdued hues against lots of white space make the story line clear.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. Joe loves fishing, but it bores his father. However, Joe's father reluctantly agrees to chaperone Joe's fishing club on an ice-fishing trip, and in the abundant downtime the two bond. In simple, straightforward prose, Greenwald tells the sweet but never cloying story. McPhail's illustrations, rendered in warm pastel hues, depict the boy's emotional vulnerability and, later, the joy he feels at having his father's time and attention.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. On Friday nights, a young boy accompanies his father to his job cleaning a school. While the book quietly highlights their loving bond, it is loud in its admirable message that not everyone's job or home life is the same. The poetic text combines with the mixed-media illustrations' inspired use of light throughout to create a dreamy atmosphere.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(2) PS "Have you seen Baby, Mama Fox?" Mama Fox feels certain Baby is "somewhere," and so Papa Fox begins the search, like a game of hide-and-seek. "Ba-by! Are you indoors? Maybe Baby went out." Fine lines and crosshatching done with ballpoint pen and colored pencil accentuate patterns and detail while small pops of orange in the pale settings allow readers--unlike Papa--to keep up with Baby. Baby follows behind Papa throughout, with the little fox's entertaining expressions anticipating potential tension as Papa bumbles into amusing or even precarious situations. Papa sticks his head in an old log and finds an annoyed skunk instead of Baby. Papa dips his head in the water and finds an ominous sharp-toothed fish rather than Baby (the animals' refrain: "I am not your baby"). By the end, Mama kindly suggests Papa try looking behind him. Savvy readers will have noted that Mama Fox and Baby exchanged a wave before this adventure commenced and that everyone was one up on Papa Fox all along. Baby's final question--"Hi Papa! Can we do that again?"--calls for repeated readings and, fittingly, the endpapers suggest that keeping up with Baby will be a recurring challenge.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Qin Leng. Russell and his father build a simple tree fort in their new house's maple tree. While their neighbor's newly erected fort, fancy and customized, is objectively "better," the time Russell and his father spent together makes theirs more valuable. Leng captures the loving father-son relationship in a warm palette balanced with generous white space; Kerrin includes subtle moments of humor throughout the story.

Reviewer: Minh Lê | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(3) PS "I don't like surprises. I like everything to stay exactly the way it's supposed to be." A little girl spends Tuesdays and Thursdays with Daddy and his partner, Harry. When Mommy picks her up from school on Tuesday, she is NOT happy. Where is Daddy? Young listeners will empathize with the narrator's distress over an upset routine, and they'll be as pleasantly surprised as she is when Daddy finally comes home--with a new puppy! The bright childlike illustrations reflect the narrator's (mostly) cheerful descriptions of the two loving households and their comforting rhythms and routines. The characters' diversity isn't the point (Mommy and the girl have brown skin; Daddy and Harry are pinkish) but is most welcome. "When you get a new puppy" tips are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) PS Illustrated by Hyewon Yum. A little girl and her father take regular bike rides through their coastal town. The girl, seated snugly in the booster seat behind her father, pretends to be a bird, repeatedly crying "CA-CAW!" In return, she receives friendly responses from the people they pass, but one elderly woman, walking with determination, doesn't acknowledge the girl: "She does not wave. She does not smile." Her lack of response concerns and frightens the child, and her joyful bird cries fade. But one day she sees the woman in the park, talking quietly to the birds that surround her. Finally, the girl and woman greet one another with bird calls. "I am a bird again. CA-CAW!" declares the child. Yum (Saturday Is Swimming Day, rev. 7/18) brings viewers a bright, light-infused outdoor world in a palette of sunny yellows, warm greens, and the velvety blue of the ocean. Lim's plainspoken prose captures the perspective of a young child, especially in the dialogue ("Daddy, I don't like her") and, specifically, the fear the girl experiences and the way in which she recedes because of it. The connection she makes with the woman at story's close is a moment of exuberance. It's a tale that celebrates imagination; birds (the monochromatic drawings of graceful birds in flight on the endpapers are a highlight); and the value of getting past fears to discover that we all have more in common than we might think.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Frank Morrison. A (brown-skinned) girl is put in time-out. What follows is a humorous comic-book story about an inept superhero who looks suspiciously like the girl's father. Wrong Man has a knack for making any problem worse; luckily, his daughter, Power Girl, is there to resolve them. Morrison's comic-panel illustrations capture the drama of a superhero origin story but add silliness to this one, which ends happily--with time-out over.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(2) K-3 Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela feels self-conscious about her long name until her father tells her about the family members after whom she is named. The pictures--grayscale print-transfer illustrations with soft textures--steal the show in their depiction of the sweet closeness between Alma and her father as well as her connection to her ancestors. Also available in Spanish.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(1) K-3 Illustrated by David Roberts. A family of five has a lot to do before Grandma's visit; luckily, the father narrating McGinty's (The Water Lady, rev. 3/21) energetically rhyming story is good at delegating: "Bobby, mop the floor. / Dad will scrub the dishes. / I'll vacuum the rug. / Sarah, feed the fishes." In case anyone needs a reminder, a job list is on the refrigerator, spelled out with colorful magnetic letters. The list is helpful...and it's also how things go off the rails. An orange cat sneakily rearranges the words on the fridge, hoping to escape the dreaded "I'll bathe the cat." When the family gets to work, they're confused but compliant: "I'll vacuum the lawn. / Bobby, bathe the mat. / Sarah, mop the baby, / and Dad will mow the cat." Whoa! Definitely not what the cat intended. Cleanly rendered illustrations show the family dutifully following orders while things go hilariously wrong. ­Roberts's (Ada Twist, Scientist) precise pencil and watercolor illustrations go beyond the entertaining premise to matter-of-factly portray a family at the intersection of a number of identities. The two fathers have brown skin, as do two of their kids. Sarah, who wears a T-rex ­costume, is white with red hair and ­freckles. Dad, who also has freckles, wears pink pants, as does Bobby. This diversity isn't the point of the story but offers much to contemplate after the silliness is done--and the cat still isn't bathed.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Holly Hatam. In this playful and affectionate story, a Sikh father lovingly cares for his daughter's long, wavy hair every morning, combing, detangling, and styling her strands into braids and buns. When Papa fixes the girl's hair into a tight bun at the top of her head, it reminds her of his own joora, and she proclaims that they are hair twins. The two joyfully tap their matching buns together while proclaiming, "hair cheers!" A six-image sequence shows Papa putting his long hair into a joora, then a patka (cloth covering), and finally a turban. The girl eagerly assists him, always ready with a rubber band or even a toothbrush for beard brushing. Cheerful digital illustrations capture the realistic details of hair care combined with the more whimsical or metaphorical, as the girl's hair is shown as an ocean or a harp. An appended note explains that the book is based on the author's husband and child. A loving portrayal of a father-daughter bond that is strengthened over daily hair care, something that honors the characters' religion while nurturing their relationship.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by Ellie Arscott. "Can't sleep?" asks the narrator's dad. "Come on, we'll go for a walk"--and the two set off into the night. This small adventure, described in the child's observant voice, is a lovely, calming exploration of the idea of home. As they walk through their neighborhood, the child notices that she and her father are not the only ones up and about. Through a window above the corner store, she sees the "sad-looking" store owner joyfully reaching for a baby. Now the narrator realizes not only that the woman "wasn't always sad" but that the store is also a home. She looks into well-lit windows, observes that each streetlamp creates its own island of light, and marvels that so many people are out this late. Throughout, her observations make it clear how fresh and new her neighborhood feels, while still remaining comfortingly familiar. "I belong here, and here belongs to me." Arscott's watercolor and ink illustrations are as fresh and comfortable as the story. Realistic details create the homey setting: Dad sports a T-shirt and jeans, the narrator wears a puffy red vest over her pajamas. The dark blues of the night are punctuated by warm spots of light from windows and streetlamps in a diverse, compact city neighborhood with businesses, apartment buildings, houses, and an expansive park. The satisfying bedtime story will get young listeners ready for sleep with the calming final sentence, "I am home." Pair with Denos and Goodale's Windows and Cole and Gómez's City Moon (both rev. 11/17).

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(1) PS A new day dawns as a father wakes his child so they can head out from their city home into the country to go on a daylong hike. They see all sorts of wildlife, encounter and overcome obstacles along their trail, and enjoy some snacks. But this is not just any ordinary hike: upon reaching their destination--a grove of trees--they plant the sapling they've brought along and take a selfie next to it. Back at home, they snuggle on the couch looking through their photo album at pictures of previous generations in their family next to each of the trees that they planted (shown closer up on the copyright page, including our brown-skinned father as a child with his light-skinned mother). Oswald's heartwarming wordless (other than a few sound effects) story lets the digital illustrations carry the narrative. Using varied perspectives, he highlights the action in successions of spot illustrations, while full pages and double-page spreads offer reflective moments in which to marvel at the beauty of Mother Nature. Upon closer reading, it's clear that the opening and closing pages provide visual clues (the child's drawings, outdoor supplies) about their journey and its significance. There's gentle humor throughout, and the loving relationship between this father and child enjoying the outdoors together is movingly emphasized. Oswald's use of earth tones and textures reinforces the beauty of the natural world and the importance of sustaining it through simple family traditions like this one.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) PS Fans of Patricelli's board-book baby (most recently Doggie Gets Scared and Mad, Mad, MAD, both rev. 9/20) already know and love the adorable youngster, but here Mommy and Daddy (Mami and Papi in the concurrently published Spanish editions) get their own places to shine. In simple, lilting text, our protagonist discusses Mom and Dad's superlative traits and describes special time spent with each of them: "Mommy hugs, Mommy kisses. / Mommy says that I'm delicious! / Now we dance. Wiggle, wiggle. / I can make my mommy giggle." "Daddy likes to sing with me. / I play horsey on his knee...Daddy cooks. / Daddy cleans. / My daddy can do anything!" Patricelli's recognizable color-saturated and textured art, with thick black outlines and rosy-cheeked characters, is always welcome, and now, especially, pandemic-weary parents may appreciate the boost. Review covers these titles: Daddy and Mommy.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara. It's a beautiful morning, and even though Dad just wants to watch futbol, his full-of-energy daughter reminds him that he promised to go on a hike with her. "Annou ale! Off we go!" to the "tippy top" of their verdant Caribbean island. The adventurous duo encourages each other in Creole, and the accompanying English text makes for easy reading, as does its spacious, verse-like placement amid the lush full-bleed illustrations. The hike is more challenging than either one expected--"Mouté! Climb on!"--until finally, they make it to the top, from which they can see their whole town and the sea beyond. If only someone had brought a camera! Oh, well. "Chonjé. Remember." Fans of the creators' previous, futbol-centered collaboration, The Field (rev. 5/18), will cheer this very welcome addition, but this book also easily stands on its own. The endpapers encourage readers to go back through the book to find a variety of creatures hidden on the pages.

Reviewer: Maija Meadows Hasegawa | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) PS The "WHOOOSH!" and "CRRRREAK!" of a swing is interrupted by the "dit dot drip!" of raindrops, and "soon, there are more." A brown-skinned, dark-haired father and daughter reluctantly head to the car; as the rain increases, sound words are playfully incorporated into each scene. The little girl looks anxiously up at the sky, and her drooping head and shoulders as they go into the house show her disappointment. The dad's solution of playing a video game cheers her up, just in time for a big "RRRRUMBLE CRASH!" The lights go out ("zzzzt!") and the following very dark double-page spread shows shadowy shapes and lots of swirling sounds. A blanket fort and flashlight make a cozy, safe space to play checkers and wait out the storm. Perkins's digital art resembles linocuts, with circular imagery moving the story along. Like Davis's Sunny-Side Up (rev. 5/21), this is a tale both about the weather and about weathering disappointment. The joyful puddle-jumping "FWOOSH!" that ends the book should have preschoolers looking forward to rainy days.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Bannock. A story from New Zealand about a rare natural wonder. A father awakens his child late at night to "find an Aurora." The child asks, "What's an Aurora?" but Dad doesn't explain, prompting many guesses. The pair enters the cold and climbs to the top of a hill far enough away that they lose sight of their farm. As in Yolen and Schoenherr's Owl Moon, they then wait quietly. Soon auroral light illuminates the sky, leaving the child speechless and wide-eyed. With the first glimpse of colors, the child, wearing a bright yellow coat, stands page left, mouth open, marveling at the "wide wings of light," while the background displays deep shades of blues, purples, pinks, reds, and oranges, with a few stars overhead. The following page shows swirling colors, while the words, mostly gerunds suggesting motion, mimic the contours and flow of the light. In the third aurora image, only distant silhouettes of father and child appear as they celebrate this amazing, color-filled sky, arms raised. The soft ­pastels perfectly complement the story (particularly this three-page climax) because of the ability to smudge and blend colors, evoke movement, and highlight the rough texture of the paper. Informative back matter answers many questions the child asks about auroras. A stunningly beautiful, informative, child's-eye ­initiation into a notable celestial ­phenomenon.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Zeke Peña. When Papi gets home from work, young Daisy grabs their motorcycle helmets, eager to zoom through the neighborhood before the sun goes down. Joyous digital and hand-painted watercolor illustrations capture the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and colors. The text's nuanced alliteration, its use of Spanglish, and the realistic linguistic mix in the illustrations (even the cat says both meow and miau) mark the specificity shaping Daisy's memory-making. Also available in Spanish.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(1) PS Raschka presents six pairs of fathers and children reveling in their loving relationships. A series of double-page spreads playfully depicts each of the pairs, using only three words each (e.g., "horse and rider," "queen and jester," "side by side"). Raschka's loose, impressionistic watercolors convey both active and tranquil moments, communicating clearly and joyfully that there is nothing else in the world as important as being together.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(1) PS Illustrated by Raúl the Third & Elaine Bay. Preschooler Sam needs a nap. "The inside feels too small" for her, and she throws a tantrum. There's only one solution: her father swings her up into the air and declares, "It's time to take a ride on the strollercoaster!" Off they zip on a thrilling adventure--up and down the steep roads, bridges, and sidewalks of their neighborhood ("Sam feels like she's flying!!")--the girl nestled snugly in her stroller. The dynamic, remarkably kinetic illustrations feature occasional comic book–style panels; speech balloons; bouncy, rollercoaster-esque onomatopoeia ("click clack"; "squeak"); some hand-drawn, oversized fonts; and a heaping dose of visual hyperbole. At one point, for instance, father and daughter zoom up the side of a brick wall. The vivid colors--starting with the fiery oranges and reds of Sam's angry mood­--­perfectly convey emotional ­subtext. Spreads are filled with ­eye-catching details that reflect the pair's bilingual community: "TIRED?" reads the side of a building, with "ESTOY CANSADA" under it. After flying through a tunnel on a striking black double-page spread colored in ­glowing lines, Sam succumbs to sleep--and then both father and daughter end up napping back at home. Preschoolers will identify with Sam's initial over-exhaustion and may find catharsis in her true-to-life display of anger. An exhilarating trip that viewers will want to take repeatedly.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) PS A child and father spend the day together on a tugboat, guiding a log boom to a Vancouver sawmill. After the boom ("a collection of floating logs") is assembled, the father and child set out, pulling the massive boom behind them. They steer wide around a tanker; encounter a swell that lifts the boom, causing the loss of a log; spot a deadhead (a partly submerged log); and hurry to reach the river before the tide turns, pulling "anything that isn't anchored or tied up...out to sea." The first-person narration is simple and specific, introducing young readers and listeners to terms of the trade (a helpful glossary is appended). The eye-catching large-format ink and pencil illustrations, colored in Photoshop, use a blue, green, and brown palette. It's an outing full of fun, but the child is truly helpful, too, and is duly appreciated by Dad: "Thanks, buddy!" The story ends with the narrator declaring, "Maybe I'll drive the tug one day." Front endpapers feature a large map of the rivers and inlets around Vancouver; back endpapers provide a diagram of the different elements of the boom. An appended "Dear Reader" letter from the author provides additional information and raises questions about climate change and sustainability.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Camille Garoche. It is spring, and Renata is helping Papi renovate the bathroom. They cut a hole in the wall where the new window will go, and one night Papi leaves the hole open. The next morning, Renata finds dried leaves and pine needles in a heap on the bathroom shelf; a wren flies in and continues building. Renata watches the papa wren make a nest. The mama wren arrives and lays her eggs, and Renata and Papi pause their construction project while the wren family grows. When the baby birds are finally ready to fly, they need a bit of help to make it to the window, and Renata uses her carpentry smarts to save the day. The story blends building and nature-watching in a unique and engaging way: the building project forms a relatable backdrop (Renata can't wait to use the old-fashioned tub they're installing) and parallel to the nature story, which takes center stage. The digitally colored pencil illustrations use a variety of compositions, including spreads and small vignettes, to carry readers through a detailed experience with the humans' carpentry project ("Renata...holds a board while he nails it into place. This board will brace the wall when he cuts the hole for the window frame"), and then the wrens' nest-building ("First he lays down a floor, a cozy cradle for eggs. Three thick sides go up next"). Renata is a protagonist whose wonder and curiosity shine throughout, and readers will gladly share in her unexpected encounters with these small visitors, who are, as Renata declares, carpenters too.

Reviewer: Autumn Allen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Waiting for spring can wear on one's patience, but readers may find comfort sharing the burden with Ethan and his (apparently single-parent) father, who go through their daily routines looking forward to warmer days, shorter nights, and running sap in their maple trees. Still, Ethan has quite a wait yet, and as time passes, the illustrations show the stark contrasts of dark skies and long shadows with indoor lights and white snow. And, week after week, Ethan faces Sunday breakfast sans maple syrup, while the nights remain long and the days cold. A loose tooth provides a break in the monotony but ultimately creates yet another thing to wait for. Through muted colors with pops of red and well-considered details, artfully placed illustrations ranging from spot art to double-page spreads capture the relentlessness of winter, the budding of spring, and the easy comfort of this father-and-son relationship. Crisp text supplies just the right pace for the story and clearly explains the sugaring process without disrupting the flow of the narrative. The subtle visual cues that the season is slowly changing become more evident with every page-turn until the sweet and satisfying conclusion.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. When Samuel's mother expresses an ardent wish for "a brown-eyed cow to give us milk for the baby," Samuel and his father pack a couple of apples and their best Barlow knife to trade and set out down the road as the cold January clouds gather. At each stop, the boy, who loves animals and longs for a pet, wishes, "just a little bit, it wasn't a brown-eyed cow his mother was wanting." As they swap the Barlow knife first for two tin lanterns and then, successively, briefly come into the possession of a book of poetry, a blue-and-white pitcher, a lamb, and a pony and cart, the daylight begins to wane and the snow begins to fall in earnest. Along the way, readers are privy to the warm interactions between father and son as well as their easy rapport with their neighbors. The narrative is spare and engaging with a folktale-like tone and storyteller's flair for repeated phrasing. Yelchin's lively full-color paintings are full of motion and realistic natural detail. The period and the setting are not specified; rather, this is a bit of timeless rural Americana. The circular journey is a successful one, and Samuel proves his mettle as a companion and helper--and has earned his heart's desire.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) K-3 Fairies, butterflies, foxes; belief, observation, evidence--there's plenty to ponder and discuss with your father when he happens to be Charles Darwin, "one of the greatest thinkers in the history of the World." Joining Papa for one of his twice-a-day strolls around the Sandwalk, his "oval thinking path," young Etty suggests that they do four laps, tracked with four flint pebble markers. As they walk with the family dog, Etty's questions drive much of their warm and lively chat. She first asks Papa about fairies, and he describes his "trouble believing in anything without proof." Their discussion shifts to the importance of keen observation, and, in Soloy's verdant mixed-media illustrations, yellowish-green leaves turn out to be camouflaged butterflies. Flattened grass and a small hole signal that a fox is nearby, and Soloy zooms in for two of the book's many visual highlights: a dramatic double-page spread dominated by the predator's face and piercing eyes; and, after the page-turn, a close-up vignette of Etty's hand clasped tightly in Papa's. In her author's note, Soloy explains that the characters, setting, and even Etty's interest in fairies are factual, but the dialogue is fabricated. Styled with comic/graphic novel conventions (speech bubbles, brief text, panel illustrations), Soloy's historical-fiction picture book makes room for both science and make-believe. But at its core, it's all about a special relationship, wonderfully humanizing the father of evolutionary theory who prized his daughter's thoughts and gave her musings "space to fly."

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(2) K-3 After school, Chicken tells Papa: "Today my teacher told us every story has an elephant of surprise." Papa corrects Chicken ("an element of surprise"), but Chicken ignores him. The storybooks they read together are repeatedly hijacked by bold, lush illustrations reflecting Chicken's imaginative and elephant-filled retellings. Stein's mixed-media illustrations allow the narrative styles to bounce back and forth between silly and serious, honoring the warm, loving father-child relationship.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Maya McKibbin. Swift Fox's dad is coming to visit. Unlike their usual visits, today Dad will be driving her to meet her family on the reserve: "Today you're going to learn how to be Mi'kmaq." The girl is apprehensive ("What's Mi'kmaq?") and her father's response doesn't help: "It's how you walk, talk, and think." When she gets to her family's home, she is greeted by aunts, uncles, and cousins. The earth-toned, digital-looking illustrations depict a family of varying skin tones, hair colors, and textures; Swift Fox can easily see the resemblance among them and to herself. However, her uncertainty about the unfamiliar smudging ceremony leads her to run from the house. Eventually the smell of her dad's fry bread--something warm and familiar--brings her back. Readers can relate to the fear of meeting new people and learning new traditions; throughout the illustrations there are butterflies, a reminder of how the character's "belly fills with" them. The story authentically depicts how a child might feel being introduced to a culture that they haven't had the opportunity to participate in regularly. In the author's note, we learn that Thomas grew up "off-reserve," and that, like Swift Fox's father, her dad did his best to teach her what it means to be Mi'kmaq.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Hallie Bateman. "Dear Customer, Thank you for your Eggasaurus purchase." A "fragile" delivery that arrives for a child named Maximus launches an epistolary story paced like a tennis match. Bright cartoon art shows the delighted boy and his devoted dog admiring the contents of the ­package: four colorful eggs, which according to the enclosed letter "may contain herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore." In the background, ­Maximus's father cranes his head from his laptop with concern. A page-turn shows ­Maximus writing back to Eggasaurus, Inc.: "My dad says I need to ask for a refund." Company policy clearly stipulates "no refunds," but as compensation they send two more eggs. At this point, the written communications between Maximus and the company both increase and (intentionally?) break down, leading to more egg deliveries. "Dear Eggasaurus, Dad says we cannot possibly accept the additional eggs"; "Dear Customer, We are sending an additional assortment." The playfully naive illustrations (ink, watercolor, gouache, crayon, and colored pencil) capture Maximus mediating between Eggasaurus, Inc., and his father, who progresses from mild surprise to ­complete shock to, finally, happy acceptance. As the eggs begin to hatch and claim space and even greater attention, readers witness a positive shift in the father-son relationship. Ultimately, with a backyard full of dinosaurs, and official certification from Eggasaurus, Inc., Dad and Maximus open a new business: ­Dinosaur Day Care.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(1) K-3 Wahl's picture book tells an affecting story about loss and starting over. In it, interdependent text and art channel a Molly Bang–like artistic style (and emotional intelligence) to follow Leo and his dad, occupants of the ever-so-humble titular blue house. "The paint was peeling and the roof was mossy. There were leaks and creaks. And when the wind blew, the whole thing shook. But it was theirs." Leo and his dad's easy companionability and resourceful attitude toward making-do in their old house present a picture of father-son idyll. (And it's notable to see a single-father, working-class household represented.) Then gentrification arrives in their neighborhood, undercutting the small family's sense of security in their house as "theirs." The landlord's letter seals their fate: the blue house has been sold and is slated for demolition. They must move. Leo's anger at this news shifts the emotional tone, and earlier scenes of joyful living-room dance parties give way to Leo's "special scream solo" as his dad "shreds" on guitar. The calm after this storm is occupied by packing, and then by a healing act of painting pictures on the bare walls of the blue house to say goodbye. This moment anticipates a supremely satisfying conclusion when Leo and his dad find a way to make their new house feel like a home, and themselves less blue.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) K-3 Jack doesn't live with his dad full time, and lately when he stays with him, the house seems especially quiet. Although the text never uses the word depressed, this seems an apt description of Dad's state at the beginning of this story, which explores a wide range of emotions through expressive art. Then a green parrot named Jimmy appears on the doorstep during a storm. The bird's presence immediately enlivens the interior scenes of Dad's home with bursts of color and energy. Dad gets a kick out of Jimmy, but Jack feels jealous, and he's annoyed by the parrot's antics. A dreamscape, notable for how much busier and more vibrant it is than previous spreads, shows Jack's bedroom overrun by birds, which he dispatches by opening a window. When Jack awakens, the window actually is open, and a bright green feather rests on the sill. Without waking his dad, Jack puts on a red hoodie (à la Little Red Riding Hood) and ventures out into the rain to search for Jimmy. He doesn't encounter any wolves, but he seems lost and hopeless in an affecting image where his small form huddles at the base of a tree. Then across the spread strides Dad, umbrella aloft. The page-turn shows Dad wrapping Jack in an embrace, and closing scenes offer a hopeful portrayal of how Jimmy has changed their lives and how he might surprise them again.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) K-3 A father wakes before the sun and heads off to work while his daughter sleeps. Alongside other tattooed bakers in hairnets and short sleeves, he starts the day preparing dough. "He scoops. / He kneads. / He rolls." After a morning of baking bread in all different shapes and sizes, the father hangs up his apron and returns home to his now-awake child. The day truly begins for this family of two once Dad has risen from his after-work nap. Now father and daughter can set to work baking their own creation--with plenty of time for play while the dough rests--before the sun sets. The story's text is short and poetic, directing readers' focus to the book's glorious art. Yamasaki's (Everything Naomi Loved, rev. 1/21) paintings create a dreamlike atmosphere throughout, such as in an eye-catching image showing the bakery floating among the clouds as Dad heads out the door and into the bright blue sky. Although never specifically mentioned in the text, an author's note discusses incarceration and its effects on families.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(1) PS As the book opens, a nondescript-looking man walks away from his home office, having just affixed an "off-limits" sign to its door. Around the corner (and from the edge of the title page) peeks a pigtailed girl, and we follow her as she opens the door to view her father's neatly ­organized office, all drab grays and browns. "I'm just looking. There's nothing wrong with just looking...and I don't think anyone would miss one piece of tape. Just one little teeny-tiny piece." We can guess what happens next. The girl begins taping up everything in sight, adding paper clips and binder clips...and then--dramatic pause--she finds the Post-it Notes. "Hello!" From here the pages become a whirlwind of exuberant color and swirled patterns and pure unadulterated joy. The office now festooned to the max, the girl comes down to earth from her creative jag and realizes that she's in a lot of trouble. "Uh-oh." She sneaks back to her bedroom and opens the door to find--"Daddy!"--that the chaos there matches that of the office, with toys in a huge pile and her father wearing a tutu and dress-up wings. All ends happily with a colorful father-daughter tea party, dullness and drabness banished. Yoon (Ball & Balloon, rev. 9/19) uses the drama of the page-turn beautifully, typography is employed creatively, and the book is perfectly paced. The girl's bliss as her office-supply art creation grows shines through in both text and mixed-media art, and her curiosity and mischievousness are so very relatable. Open the door to this spectacular book and go right in.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(1) PS Illustrated by Chioma Ebinama. Young Emile, his dog at his side, frequents a field that is "wide and blue" and filled with flowers, bumblebees, and his favorite maple tree. Throughout the seasons, Emile talks to the field, asking if it misses things it doesn’t know, such as the sea, and marvels at what the field does know, such as the stars in a mesmerizing night sky. When he visits one winter day with his father, Emile expresses his dismay over having to share the field with others (i.e., a group of loud children, sledding). His father's response brings him comfort and ­purpose. With gentle rhythms, Young's verse captures the boy's observations with an emotional honesty (Emile wonders why the sledders didn't secure his "say-so" to visit); with an authenticity true to the impassioned feelings of ­children (Emile is described as being "in love" with the field); and with a tenderness that is touching but never ­saccharine. Ebinama brings this story of a Black boy having an immersive outdoor ­experience to life with delicate lines and lush and ­atmospheric watercolors; Emile in his puffy red coat, making a snow angel, is a reverent nod to Keats's Peter in The Snowy Day. The yellows, in ­particular, nearly glow in the form of flowers, bumblebees, and the golden hues of fall. What Emile learns from his father ("The field would not, could not be bought! or belong to anyone") is a satisfying conclusion to this exquisite story of one boy's unfettered delight in nature.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022