Book Buds Kidlit Reviews

A hairless dog

Where did Daddy's hair go?

by Joe O'Conner; illustrated by Henry Payne

The tallest mountain near me is Mt. Baldy, home of the famous Zen Center, and source of countless jokes at the expense of hairless men throughout the region. At last these beleaguered gents have a publishing niche of their own, which must be some consolation when the Rogaine fails.

Eager Jeremiah Jensen sets off to the ballpark with Daddy, whose shining pate prompts a not-nice jibe from another grown-up in the stands. Daddy makes a funny retort but little Jer can't let it go, especially when he overhears pop mention he lost his hair.

That sets off the predictable hunt for the missing locks, and some speculation on how Mr. Jensen might've turned out if his scalp had been more cooperative. Finally, a trip to the beach brings Jeremiah close to a variety of hairless heads in all their shining glory, and he decides Dad's "perfect just the way you are."

Yawn.

Even the art just lays there like a series of bad hair days. Payne's an editorial cartoonist for the Detroit News, and the illustrations indeed look exactly like such; the same heavy black lines and overuse of squiggles and wide cross-hatching, the same round bug eyes, the same bulb noses and basic features. There are no frills and no extras, no darting little critters or extraneous characters to follow or to develop a parallel storyline.

Maybe I should launch a screed against the MSM for clearly sucking any creativity whatsoever out of its employees even as they arrogantly think they can conquer kiddie lit (because that must be EASIER, right?) but really it's just not worth it. The guy was once a finalist for a Pulitzer, which I don't find particularly reassuring.

This is a fine Father's Day gift for the follicle-challenged, but otherwise it's a pass.

Rating: *\*\

Dad has it ruff

My Father the Dog

by Elizabeth Bluemle; illustrated by Randy Cecil

I know I left this book around here someplace. Dang. We cleaned out the office and now I can't find a thing.

Anyway.

This book is, ahem, about a father. And the dog. And how they were pretty much separated at birth. The daughter makes her case pretty convincingly, pointing out how Dad fetches the newspaper, retrieves balls and investigates everything.

We don't have a dog but now I realize that's because we don't need one. Sit! Roll over! Do laundry!

Though our family mascot is a little more likely to appreciate a good back rub than a scratch behind the ears, that's okay. We're keeping him.

Happy Father's Day, honey. Good boy!

Rating: *\*\

Ummm ... doughnuts ...

Mr. Beast

by James Sage and Russell Ayto

All that’s keeping Charlie from becoming the nasty Mr. Beast’s next meal is a pan full of homemade doughnuts. Whoops! Charlie just ate the last one.

Ayto lets us know Charlie’s not too worried despite the menacing stick-like figures and the eerie way leaves and bugs and vines skitter and creep across the pages. Look closely for clues to Mr. Beast’s real identity, even before Mum unmasks him.

Yep, it’s British – I can’t imagine American moms having this problem in the land of Krispy Kremes. Even so, it’s a sly mix of spooks and giggles, especially if you can get Dad to read it in a deep, scary voice.

Have those Krispy Kremes ready, though.

Note: Yeah, okay, so this would've been a perfect post for Halloween. I blew it. Better luck next year ...

Rating: *\*\*\

Big kudos from a little boy

My Daddy is a Giant

by Carl Norac; illustrated by Ingrid Godon

     Dad's so big, he must stoop to fit on the pages. Birds nest in his hair and clouds rest on his shoulders. And of course his little boy wants to be just like him.

     This is one boy's paean to the father who's ever at his side, but whose real largesse clearly comes from his bond with his son. Godon renders the proud papa in paint and pastels against solid backdrops in subdued, earthy tones. Seasons pass with subtle variations in background hues and changes of clothes, yet Daddy's always there, always engaged, and always larger than life.

     Okay, so there's no actual plot. Does there need to be? Once upon a time, a boy could brag that his Dad was better than your Dad. This book makes me believe that perhaps despite seismic shifts in modern families, that might still be true.

     Note: This is the third review for Father's Day. We hope all our Daddy readers enjoy their holiday.

Rating: *\*\

More fun with fathers

My Daddy and Me

by Amy E. Sklansky; illustrated by Ard Hoyt

     Some things always go well together: Peanut butter and jelly. The moon and the stars. Hot chocolate and marshmallows. Using pairings like these, Sklansky takes you through the seasons comparing fun twosomes to "Daddy and me."

We go together, like honey and bees. Like peanut butter and jelly, like hide-and-seek.

     The clever, easily recognized pairings draw children in along with the breezy, colorful illustrations of fathers and their sons and daughters playing, laughing and just plain enjoying each other's company -- no matter what they are doing.

     I like the simple way this book shows the beautiful bond between Dads and their kids -- just hanging out and having a blast together. My 5-year-old giggles at the pairings, like "boots and rain" with pictures of the father and son jumping enthusiastically in the puddles.

Note: Reviewed by Dawn Mena. Another Father's Day review will follow tomorrow.

Rating: *\*\*\

An everyday hero

Because Your Daddy Loves You

by Andrew Clements; illustrated by R.W. Alley

     No sooner had I started this blog than I noticed one terrible trend in kiddie lit: the lack of Dads. I'd open book after book where Daddy was M.I.A., and it was left to Mom to soothe boo-boos or impart wisdom.

     To me, that's even worse than TV commercials portraying the family patriarch as a know-nothing buffoon, always in the way and getting it wrong. At least those men are physically present.

     So for Father's Day, I'm introducing a new category -- Dads -- and reviewing two books for the Man of the House.

     The first is a delightful jaunt to the beach with a loving, tender pop and his adoring daughter. There's no Mom in this book, making it a perfect gift for those fathers flying solo.

     Clements' Dad rejects the aloof, stern stereotypes and always opts to dispel nightmares, rummage for that misplaced shoe or wade into cold surf for a lost ball -- just like the father I knew growing up, and which no little princess should be without.

     Alley's cartoonish illustrations lend a humorous touch, padding Dad out a bit and softening his edges, without making him goofy or klutzy. He's just a regular guy, reveling in his role as an everyday hero.

Note: the next Dads book will be reviewed on Thursday. 

Rating: *\*\*\

A father's stories

Fairy Tales

by e.e. cummings; illustrated by Meilo So

Just as he broke the mold for modern poetry, e.e. cummings shows us how a fairy tale should be written in these four stories for children, reissued recently by Liveright Publishing.

A shy, housebound elephant makes a friend – a delicate butterfly who beats a frail wing against his door. The unexpected company at first petrifies the elephant, but he manages to muster the courage to invite the creature in. The story’s a metaphor for events in the poet’s own life, with him as the lonely and lumbering behemoth meeting his little grandson for the first time.

Similarly, it’s not hard to imagine it's again cummings standing in for an empty house that prefers a songbird’s company to that of coarse and noisy humans. The stories have a singsong quality to the telling, and lend themselves to new discoveries and layers of meaning with each reading.

The end notes say the poet wrote several for his own daughter, Nancy, sometime before his wife left him and remarried a man who kept father and daughter apart until the girl was grown. His anguish fills every line, but the stories are ultimately uplifting and affirm the vitality of love and friendship.

So’s expressionistic watercolors underwhelm, however, and add nothing to the narrative except some jarring color.

Rating: *\*\*\*\

Father's day

Waiting for Papa / Esperando a Papa

by Rene Colato Lainez; illustrations by Anthony Accardo

Eight-year-old Beto is an immigrant Everyboy, tempest toss'd onto our shores after civil war and a fire rob his Salvadoran parents of jobs and a home. But his papa doesn't get a visa, and must remain behind while Beto's mama works in a sweatshop and Beto dreams of a reunion.

Hard work and hope keep this family going until Beto gets his wish, and therein lies a message that transcends the story no matter how many times and in how many ways it's told. Lainez avoids politically correct sandtraps to make clear that Beto's suffering isn't just a Latino thing, and therefore his hard-earned triumph is one we can all share.

Note: bilingual

Rating: *\*\*\

'Piano Man' sings a dirge

Goodnight, My Angel: A Lullabye

by Billy Joel, Illustrated by Yvonne Gilbert

Don't get me wrong, I love Billy Joel. He was an essential part of my own childhood. But, man, this book -- based on the 1993 song -- depressed me:

The water's dark,
and deep inside
this ancient heart
you'll always be a part of me

If you're a Dad who's divorcing or dying, this is your book. Written while Joel's marriage collapsed to reassure daughter Alexa, it's a somber reflection on separation and loss. Trouble is, it's too sad to be soothing, too maudlin to truly move me.

The highlight: Gilbert's muted hues and lush, fanciful dreamscapes depicting a young father as he tucks his little girl into bed. Look for Dad's face in the moon watching over her. Heartbreaking.

Note: Comes with music CD

Rating: *\*\