For one first grader, a day important in America goes from good to bad to good again June 3, 1965 ---- the first American space walk. And for Tommy, a chance to listen to the event, live, with his father. But Dad has an important meeting and can't be home in time. That's all right. Tommy can wait till the evening news, just as he can wait to become an astronaut someday, when all his space games with Dad and their walkie--talkies will become real. Later, at school, the kids go to the Large Group Room to watch Gemini Four lift off. The front page of the afternoon paper carries an artist's rendering of the space walk, and the picture inspires Tommy, after school, to draw on his imagination. He's floating deep in space until ---- Beeeep! Dad's home! Beeeep! But Tommy's left his bike in the driveway. And Dad is in a bad mood. He's hunched behind the wheel, uninterested in any space walk now. All the scarier, Dad seems to have become his car: cold, closed off, roaring. That's how Tommy sees the homecoming: Dad's beyond reach. Until, wonderfully, the man reads his boy loud and clear, as if a walkie--talkie has crackled to life. This is a book about father--son feeling, revealed in heartfelt words and pictures of inventive vitality (the spreads of Dad--as--car are extraordinary) in which space symbolizes both distance and shared dream.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
"Today the first American is going to walk in space," begins this tale of a father and son's reconciliation. Tommy is looking forward to telling his father about the spaceship blastoff he's seen on TV at school, but his father pulls up to the driveway and "growls, 'Move your bike. Now!' " Tommy is devastated, "A million stars burst in my body. Hot and cold." The language may be strong, but Tommy's feelings of rejection are believable, and when Dad finally understands Tommy's distress, he comes to the small astronaut's rescue. Catalanotto's (Mr. Mumble; The Painter) watercolors are breathtaking, but so abstruse that even adult readers may be confused. Each spread shimmers with light, brims with intriguing designs and details that reinforce the period setting, and the faces seem alive with energy and emotion. But the conceit of having the father and his car represent the father himself is cumbersome. For example, paired with the text "Maybe Dad doesn't care about spacewalking" is an illustration of Tommy watching his father drive the car through the living room, as if the man had just blown through the patio doors. When Dad orders Tommy to remove his colander/space helmet, "Dad beeps, 'No helmets at the table,' " and the father and his car are pictured tableside. The book succeeds in representing a boy's imaginary play world as well as his changing moods, but the forced exposition at the beginning, the complexity of the visual images and the heavy-handed symbolism may make the book difficult for young readers to understand. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-2-Tommy has a very active imagination. His favorite fantasy involves pretending he is exploring outer space while his father flies his spaceship. So June 3, 1965, the day the first American walks in space, is a very big day for him. His excitement builds over the course of his day and he can hardly wait to share it with his father. When dad gets home, however, he is in a bad mood. He yells at Tommy and sends him to his room. Feeling that his father doesn't care about him, the child acts out by pasting a picture of his face on the body of the astronaut in the newspaper. When dad sees the paper, he changes his attitude and calls Tommy on his walkie-talkie for another imaginary adventure in space. The watercolor illustrations lend a nostalgic feel to the story. Period details abound and the composition is inventive, if at times, bizarre. Dad is always depicted behind the wheel of his sedan even in the living room and at the dinner table. The surreal elements may confuse and even frighten literal-minded youngsters and there isn't enough of a story for more sophisticated picture-book readers. Anyone looking for a lighthearted look at fathers or space adventure will want to explore further.
Margaret Jennings, Orange County Library System, Orlando, FL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Margaret Jennings, Orange County Library System, Orlando, FL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite book,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Dad and Me (Hardcover)
Dad and Me is a great book. I like the story because sometimes my dad comes home and he is a little grouchy like the dad in the book. But in the end, the dad feels better and plays with his son, Tommy. The pictures are amazing and my favorite is of the dad's sad eyes in the rearview mirror. My favorite sentence is about the baby brother, "the alien." I think everyone should buy this book because it tells kids not to feel bad when their dad or mom are angry at something else. Thank you for writing this book, Mr. Catalanotto.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fathers and sons,
This review is from: Dad and Me (Hardcover)
What a powerful book! For any parent who has been in a bad mood and sometimes forgets how it can effect his or her child. Catalanotto captures Tommy's emotional twists in words and pictures perfectly. This book isn't for those who like to live with their heads in the sand. It's an honest, direct look at real parent-child relationships. This book can open up wonderful discussions between adults and children on human behavior and help kids understand how parents can get overwhelmed by their careers. Bravo, Catalanotto, for continuing to create thought provoking literature for children. Your tremendous respect for children's feelings is ever evident!
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wendy needs to preview before she purchases...,
By A Customer
This review is from: Dad and Me (Hardcover)
It is an absolute insult when customers are subjected to rants such as Wendy's above. When someone admits to buying a book without reading it, and then spews angry words to discredit the contents, I am wary. In this instance I must set the record straight, because the book is so powerful and intelligently illustrated. Dad and Me is a sophisticated picture book that deals with the relationship between a child and his less-than-perfect father. It is not a happy-go-lucky Father's Day book; it's a book about families. The father works, and the child wants; attention, a relationship, time. Centered on the space walk of 1963, the story moves the father from a man preoccupied with work ("No, we can't listen to the space walk together") to one who tenderly reaches out to his child after a disagreement. What's so appalling about that? The illustrations are nothing less than brilliant, the car used as a metaphor for the father's work, not a vehicle that beeps throughout a neighborhood. If you're not a thinker, or if you come from a perfect family this is not a book for you, but if you are someone who can identify with the ups and downs of the real parent-child world, and would like a story to share, indulge.
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