A look at the many hats fathers wear, best for dog lovers.
Diego has “one of the toughest jobs in the world”: dad.
Diego is one photogenic pug, posed against white backgrounds with a few props while wearing hats signifying different jobs. In a photo of Diego in a police cap, a knocked-over plant and police-line tape on the verso, the text reads: “Sometimes, he has to be ‘The Law.’ / ‘Stop digging up the plants!’ / ‘No pooping on the floor!’ / ‘Don’t eat cat barf.’ ” Other jobs Diego fulfills include cook, nurse, and fix-it guy. But most of all, Diego wants to be a good dad, cleaning the dishes, doing the laundry, mopping, and acting as a role model. A large part of the humor in this book is the juxtaposition of the text with the photos of Diego’s wrinkly face. Diego sets an example by always wearing his winter hat in the cold: “I look like an elf.” Yes, a grumpy, rather chagrined one. While Diego lacks the sophistication of William Wegman’s Weimaraners, he perfectly embodies the feelings of dads everywhere as, after being “Dad”ed for the 12th time, Diego, front legs splayed and chin on the floor, responds, “That’s me.” Maloney and Kennedy miss an opportunity to show fatherhood in action, though: Diego never interacts with his pup, who’s only shown on one spread, albeit five times—or perhaps that’s five puppies, each shown once.
A look at the many hats fathers wear, best for dog lovers. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-451-48126-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors.
A confused squirrel overreacts to the falling autumn leaves.
Relaxing on a tree branch, Squirrel admires the red, gold, and orange leaves. Suddenly Squirrel screams, “One of my leaves is…MISSING!” Searching for the leaf, Squirrel tells Bird, “Someone stole my leaf!” Spying Mouse sailing in a leaf boat, Squirrel asks if Mouse stole the leaf. Mouse calmly replies in the negative. Bird reminds Squirrel it’s “perfectly normal to lose a leaf or two at this time of year.” Next morning Squirrel panics again, shrieking, “MORE LEAVES HAVE BEEN STOLEN!” Noticing Woodpecker arranging colorful leaves, Squirrel queries, “Are those my leaves?” Woodpecker tells Squirrel, “No.” Again, Bird assures Squirrel that no one’s taking the leaves and that the same thing happened last year, then encourages Squirrel to relax. Too wired to relax despite some yoga and a bath, the next day Squirrel cries “DISASTER” at the sight of bare branches. Frantic now, Squirrel becomes suspicious upon discovering Bird decorating with multicolored leaves. Is Bird the culprit? In response, Bird shows Squirrel the real Leaf Thief: the wind. Squirrel’s wildly dramatic, misguided, and hyperpossessive reaction to a routine seasonal event becomes a rib-tickling farce through clever use of varying type sizes and weights emphasizing his absurd verbal pronouncements as well as exaggerated, comic facial expressions and body language. Bold colors, arresting perspectives, and intense close-ups enhance Squirrel’s histrionics. Endnotes explain the science behind the phenomenon.
A hilarious autumnal comedy of errors. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3520-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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