THAT’S PAPA’S WAY

Father and daughter head out to fish in the early dawn; Papa picks up the earthworms with his fingers, while the narrator scoops them with her shovel. He whistles as he rows, “because that’s Papa’s way,” and she sings “Whoosh” with the waves, because that’s her way. Banks’s gentle, present-tense narration captures the specificity of the moment, as Papa lands a fish and narrator holds her breath, hoping she’ll get a bite. Their understanding of each other is deep and intimate, evident in both text and Castillo’s illustrations. Her soft, reassuringly thick outlines contain this happy pair, even as they are cradled within their boat, which in turn is held gently by the waves. Thick, matte stock completes the warmly rumpled look of this loving snapshot. (Picture book. 4-7)