Proof that playtime is fun time whether on land or under the sea.
Father and child thalassophiles bond in the ocean blue.
Merdaddy adores the water and shares his joy for the ocean with his merbaby. Whether the two are having a seaweed picnic with the sardines or floating “with the jellyfish / all the way up, / like underwater balloons,” Merdaddy, a burly, bearded creature with a fish’s tail and an anchor tattoo on his arm, expresses his love for his child through various forms of imaginative play. After surfing the waves with turtles and rescuing people lost at sea, Merdaddy notes that his merbaby’s “fingers / look like raisins” and “maybe it’s time to get out.” But Merbaby doesn’t want to leave the water and cries underwater tears that float upward. The scene shifts to a bathroom decorated like the sea and to a human child in a bathtub full of aquatic toys that mirror the animals seen earlier in the story. Merdaddy and Merbaby are father and child taking part in the nighttime ritual of bathtime before bed. Families will recognize an important part of their daily routine as well as the sometimes elaborate paths parents and caregivers need to take to get this task done efficiently. Paper collage illustrations provide texture to a bright, energetic aquatic world and bring to life the loving, playful relationship between father and child. Merdaddy and Merbaby are depicted in pinkish-tan colors; the child is not gendered.
Proof that playtime is fun time whether on land or under the sea. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9780063280274
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: tomorrow
BOOK REVIEW
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Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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