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MY DAD’S JOB

Name: MY DAD’S JOB
Author: Peter Glassman
ISBN: 0-689-82890-X

by Peter Glassman & illustrated by Timothy Bush ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2003

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A youngster listens to his dad talk about work each night and takes it too literally. “On Wednesday, Dad was really tired. He told Mom that the market was up and down and that the bulls and bears were giving everyone a wild ride.” Mom dispels the boy’s visions of a bovine/ursine rodeo by telling him they aren’t that type of bulls and bears. After several days of misunderstandings, the boy goes to work with his dad. The office building doesn’t look like a place anyone would have fun . . . until they open the doors to Dad’s office. The place is full of bulls, bears—and aliens. In the end, he decides he wants to go with Dad every day. Bush’s watercolors bring this play-on-words to life: each family member has an obvious personality in the realistic scenes; in the boy’s fantasies, pictures of office workers fighting off hostile takeovers and playing on teams are a hoot. The single gatefold page might not wear well in libraries, but the glossary of Dad’s work-speak at the end is a definite plus. Silly, but fun. (Picture book. 5-9)

Pub Date: May 1, 2003

ISBN: 0-689-82890-X

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2003

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
MY WORKING MOM
by Peter Glassman & illustrated by Tedd Arnold

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WIZARD NEXT DOOR
by Peter Glassman & illustrated by Steven Kellogg

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BECAUSE YOUR DADDY LOVES YOU

by Andrew Clements & illustrated by R.W. Alley ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 23, 2005

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Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: May 23, 2005

ISBN: 0-618-00361-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FRINDLE FILES
by Andrew Clements ; illustrated by Brian Selznick

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FRIENDSHIP WAR
by Andrew Clements

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LOSERS CLUB
by Andrew Clements

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GROWING HOME

by Beth Ferry ; illustrated by Eric Fan & Terry Fan ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2025

Charming.

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An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.

Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.

Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)