My Daddy Rules the World

Starred review from April 17, 2017
In a lovely follow-up to Mother Poems, Smith uses 16 poems to celebrate precious, small, and meaningful moments between fathers and their children. Understated torn-paper collages present an array of families with featureless faces and a spectrum of skin tones: a newbie bike rider recognizes that her father supports her, even as he lets go: “And then I’m free, the wind is blowing,/ my dad let go, but I’m still going!” One boy’s busy father shows up for a twilight game of catch, another introduces his son to a favorite book: “Dad and I are readers./ We are word men, through and through.” Tender and honest, these poems pack a big emotional punch. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from April 1, 2017
A collection of poetry that celebrates dads and all they do with and for their children.The 15 poems collected here focus mostly on the tiny moments that mean so much to children and are remembered years later--the Sunday breakfasts shared between parent and child, the way dad dances his daughter around on his feet, the wrestling matches and playing catch, learning to ride a two-wheeler, and reading books together. A few are more generic: comparing dad to various animals, dad's snoring, a cheer for dad, and one that looks at the many jobs dads have, though the narrator's has the best--he stays at home. The line breaks and rhyme schemes make the poems accessible to those reading aloud, and the diverse array of people depicted, most of color, and different combinations (several father-and-child pairs are not of the same race) ensure that readers will find at least one like themselves in these pages. The torn-paper collages (with a few added items for buttons, a watch face, and wire-rim glasses) with no inked details mean that faces are blank slates, so the bulk of the emotion has to come from body positioning, posture, and the relations between figures on a page; Smith has mastered this, conveying so much with tilting heads and embracing arms.A masterful salute to fatherhood. (Picture book/poetry. 5-9)

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Starred review from April 1, 2017
PreS-Gr 3-Dedicated to -every man 'fathering' a child,- this volume spotlights the bond between dads and their kids. Written in a child's voice, the poems depict dads snoring, making breakfast, giving a haircut or guitar lesson, wrestling, playing catch, teaching a child to ride a bike, and reading. -Love Letter- is about writing to a military dad abroad: -My daddy-/he is far away./I wish him home/most every day.- The one exception to the child-narrated voice is the call-and-response poem -Daddy!,- which prompts listeners with questions: -Who do you like? Who do you love?/Daddy!/Who do you wrestle? Who do you shove?/Daddy! .... Who shows you the world from the top of his head?/Daddy!/Who tells you a story and puts you to bed?/Daddy!- The final selection, also the title poem, describes a near-perfect dad: -He helps me with my homework/and always gets it right./He teaches me 'most of the time, /it's better not to fight.'/.... Whenever I have a problem, /he knows just what to do: /'In order to solve anything, /be honest, kind, and true.' - The torn-paper collage illustrations depict faceless children and their dads sharing special moments together. The youngsters are boys and girls with a variety of skin and hair colors, thus representing every child-if only every child could have a father as loving and attentive as the ones portrayed in this book. The poems are accessible and a true celebration of fatherhood. Pair with Javaka Steptoe's award-winning In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall, another work of poetry and collage on the same subject. VERDICT A lovely addition to poetry collections that may just inspire kids to write verse of their own. [Ed. note: see Q&A with Smith, p. 22.]-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2017
Grades K-2 Smith's latest heartwarming, lyrical collection focuses on the spirit and splendor of the relationship between father and child. Smith's first-person poems capture the voices of children enumerating the many, widely varied things they love about their fathers. In My Daddy, a boy compares his dad to animals. My daddy is a tall giraffe who lifts me to the sky. / My daddy is a sea eagle who teaches me to fly. Table for Two shines a light on a private moment between dad and daughter: I'm so glad to be / having breakfast with my daddyall by myself, just me. One poem about jobs some fathers have praises the importance of a stay-at-home dad. Warm, colorful torn-paper collages feature faceless fathers, sons, and daughters in a wide range of skin tones, primarily brown, all in affectionate poses echoing the sentiments of the verses. A first-rate pick for Father's Day that celebrates dads and, as Smith notes in her dedication, those who stand in the gap offering guidance, love, and support to children in need. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)