DANCE ME, DADDY

Songwriter Morgan adapts her “King of the World” (sung by evangelical ensemble Point of Grace on an accompanying CD) with limited success. The vaguely Latina-looking, curly-haired moppet in O’Neill’s unremarkable watercolors is the very picture of her daddy; her blond mother looks on benevolently as dad and daughter frolic lovingly from her toddlerhood to the birth of her own curly-haired daughter. The song’s refrain (“There’s nothing better than being your girl. / If I am your princess, then you are king of the world”) is rendered more or less as sung, in rhyme, but the linking verses appear in an uneasy prosified verse, making for a difficult read-aloud. Like Love You Forever, this sentimental picture book is likely to appeal more to parents than children. (Picture book. 3-6)