SUPERDADS!

In the animal kingdom, some dads are super-involved in parenting.

This entertaining companion to Lang and Harper’s Supermoms! (2023) uses the same graphic format to introduce 18 animal fathers. Comic strips depict recognizable but stylized animals in their habitats. A brief line of text that tells a very short story explains the male’s role (“An owl monkey dad plays follow-the-leader with his young”). Expanding on the text, the illustrations feature sly jokes: The horned owl chicks are less than pleased by the offer of skunk for dinner. The animals make humorous commentary in speech bubbles, much of which will elicit smiles from adult readers. Burying beetles carry a dead mouse singing, “Hi-ho…hi-ho,” and a sandgrouse flies off in search of water singing, “Up up and awaaaaaaaay.” Organized by task, the book covers male species that incubate eggs, build nests, conceal the vulnerable babies, and feed, protect, and teach their young. The male greater rhea, pictured on the cover, “takes the prize,” since he does all the child rearing. Some animals will be familiar (seahorses, wolves), but many may be new, especially to North American children (the mallee fowl, the baya weaver bird). Two concluding pages reintroduce each species with its particular “superpower,” notes where each lives, and offers a surprising fast fact. The excellent backmatter is full of recommended books, websites, and other resources.

A winning combination of humor and intriguing animal facts.