YOU CAN DO ANYTHING, DADDY!

A bedtime conversation morphs into an Indiana Jones–type adventure. Snug under the covers, a little boy asks his dad, crisp in a dress shirt and tie, whether he would save him if pirates snatched him. The duo and the reader are suddenly thrust into the adventure, with dad chasing three grizzled pirates, running near an arrowed sign reading “Ye sea.” The pirate captain, in eye patch and red coat, clutches the boy tightly. Dad gets more and more raggedy as he swims through shark-infested waters, battles tigers and snakes and robot gorillas and executes a daring rescue. Son gives him some cold apple juice and bandages his wounds. Just as suddenly as the adventure began, they are back at the son’s bed for a final hug. Rex effectively captures a preschool imagination, and his blocky illustrations, drawn in pencil and colored using Photoshop, are full of little jokes. (Picture book. 3-6)