This book may spark inspiration—dads best hide their treasures.
A young girl makes Daddy a sandwich with all his favorite ingredients….
But not all of them are edible. The first couple spreads will be all too familiar to any caregiver: the little girl repeats “Daddy” louder and louder to try to get her father’s attention, but soccer on TV is distracting him. When he steals away to the kitchen for a cookie, she offers to make him a sandwich, and he offhandedly says yes (maybe he is thinking she means a pretend sandwich). But while this sandwich does have bread on top and bottom, the middle is filled with all sorts of things Dad loves: butter, a block of stinky cheese, a whole tomato—and his cellphone, Mum’s bubble bath (“he sits in there for ages”), his tool belt, etc. And the pièce de résistance? “More than anything, Daddy loves… // ME!” The book ends when Dad walks into the kitchen to view her final creation: “Daddy! Your sandwich is ready!” The adorably scribbly round-headed, big-eyed, white cherub with pink cheeks and brown pigtails is the very picture of innocence, though readers might suspect she’s not by the end. It’s difficult to tell if she knows better or she is truly naïve, as she sneaks away with Daddy’s slippers and hides behind his chair to slip away the TV remote.
This book may spark inspiration—dads best hide their treasures. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-571-31183-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A handsome edition of an old favorite.
The familiar cumulative game is played by four children, along with their father and their dog, at the typically British beach pictured on the lovely, expansive first endpaper.
The children's real activities are shown in b&w drawings; the imaginative doings appear in full color. Although some of the color pages show perfectly possible events, most are clearly fantasy, suggesting just how close the two may be in children's minds. The family ends up in safe retreat in one big cozy bed; the bear is seen--on the second essential, beautiful endpaper--headed into a gloomy sea. Oxenbury's splendid watercolors and drawings perfectly evoke both landscape and the members of the questing family.
A handsome edition of an old favorite. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1989
ISBN: 978-0-689-50476-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1989
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