A WILD FATHER’S DAY

When the kids give Daddy a card that says, “Have a wild Father’s Day,” he suggests they “act like animals all day long!” So they hop like kangaroos, stretch like cats, run like cheetahs and so on. Howarth’s bright but unremarkable illustrations depict father and children in the act and then juxtapose those images with the trio transformed into the animals in question, the dad animal always sporting his specs and the children in blue baseball cap (brother) and pink sneakers (sister). The text provides descriptive accompaniment for those spreads, some more fortuitous than other—“Grapple, grapple, grapple!” seems, while accurate, a little peculiar for the bears’ wrestling. It’s undeniably sweet enough (if not a little too), but ultimately provides nothing particularly new. (Picture book. 3-5)