TLC is the main ingredient in this first of a series for children by these leading husband-and-wife experts on parenting. With help from Christie Watts Kelly (New Families, New Finances: Money Skills for Today’s Nontraditional Families, 1998, etc.), the Sears Children’s Library begins with the preparations necessary when a family is expecting its newest member. Older siblings are taught about the developing baby and included in what their mother is experiencing. As her body changes from day to day, the children are given examples of when they may have had similar feelings of physical discomfort. Suggestions for further involvement include ideas for how the children can help around the house and welcome the new baby. Preceding the story are tips for parents to encourage family bonding during the pregnancy, and a resource box following the story teaches expectant moms and dads about “attachment parenting.” Factual information boxes throughout the pages include answers to children’s more advanced questions, allowing parents to modify the story as a child ages. Andriani’s (Annabel the Actress Starring in Gorilla My Dreams, 1999, etc.) illustrations come alive with even brush strokes of vivid watercolor. The light and dark shades display subtle transitions that easily reveal depth and shadow. Black sketched outlines lend excellent detail to the artwork. At a time when an older sibling’s self-assurance may become challenged, the importance of honesty, tenderness, and inclusion are evident and appreciated. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-316-78767-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2001
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
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
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