From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K–Molly stretches out the going-to-bed routine with a question-and-answer session about various creatures–a dinosaur, a polar bear, a crocodile, the mythical Grimalken, and, of course, Dad. They all have the same special important quality–they love their babies. Her father's answers have a lyricism and poetry that is appealing, but the format, awkwardly set in the present tense, kills the rhythm of the text. Also, Pow fails to give Molly her own voice. When it's her turn to talk about Dad, the sophisticated rhythm of her speech doesn't seem genuine. Andrew's ink-and-watercolor illustrations have people and animals cavorting over the spreads with exuberant energy. In thumbnail sketches around the text, a dinosaur juggles an egg, a polar bear does handstands, and Molly is in four places at once. The full-page close-ups of parents and offspring are warm and whimsical. Unfortunately, the stifling structure of the Dad says/Molly says format, and the tedious repetition of such sentences as "She's thinking, then she thinks some more, and, as she thinks, Dad pretends that he's thinking even more," will lose a read-aloud audience and bore independent readers.
–Jane Barrer, Washington Square Village Creative Steps, New York City Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 1. The familiar picture-book emotion--the love a parent feels for a child--gets new life in this wonderfully illustrated offering. Molly is in bed, but she is not sleepy. She asks her father questions: "What's the most important things you know about a polar bear?" Dad knows that the polar bear lives on Arctic ice, has feet the size of dinner plates, and swims more elegantly than it runs. And he knows one more thing: "I know that it loves its babies." So does the crocodile that Molly asks about and, yes, even the dinosaur. Children will be waiting for the signature answer when Dad suddenly turns things around and asks Molly what she knows about him: yes, he loves his baby. The sharp yet simple text avoids the obvious, going for interesting images. For instance, in describing dinosaurs, Dad notes, "Some skipped on dancers' legs while clutching invisible handbags." The watercolor-and-ink artwork isn't conventionally sweet; it brims with whimsy in both design and execution. On one two-page spread, tiny bears frolicking around the text face a larger image of the bear on the opposite page. On another spread, an imaginary "Grimalken" flits around the words as it "hoots with its toes when it snores." Just as strong as the art are the sweet feelings evolving from the father-daughter relationship. That parent-child love is one lovely thing.
Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
