A must for nature enthusiasts big and small, this one will inspire families to get outdoors together.
A boy and his father bond over a love of nature.
Tim, a little Black boy with skinny legs, dark brown skin, and a big Afro, and his dad, a bald, Black man with a massive black beard, fit together “like bacon and eggs.” Tim loves exploring the outdoors, just as his father did in his youth. After observing and collecting data one day, Tim wants to show Dad his findings, but Dad has work to do. After waiting patiently, Tim finally goes to the attic to peruse the scrapbooks and journals his dad made during his youthful adventures. While looking through them, Tim falls asleep and dreams of camping in the desert, snorkeling in the ocean, and hiking a snowy alpine trail with Dad. On awakening, Tim makes drawings of his dreams. When Dad finds Tim, he resolves to make more memories for the scrapbook with Tim. This story emphasizes that setting aside family time outdoors can result in a lifetime of memories. Allen’s (and Tim’s) brightly colored illustrations, with an abundance of green, including the duo’s matching olive-green scoutlike outfits, capture the boy’s passion for exploring and the closeness he and his father share when outside. The use of white space early in the book represents the confinement of work, but when Tim embarks on his dream journey, the full-color, imaginative double-page spreads convey Tim’s immersion in these natural habitats. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A must for nature enthusiasts big and small, this one will inspire families to get outdoors together. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780593524930
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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