Time Together: Me and Dad

April 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Children and their fathers share activities such as tea parties, chores, reading, baking, making music, and walking the dog. The prose is simple and straightforward, while the sweet and appealing illustrations show the pairs thoroughly engaged and enjoying each other's company, and the large pictures stand out on the blank white backgrounds, making them perfect for group viewing. Great for lap reading or to put on a Father's Day reading display.-Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2014
A slide show of snapshots of different children and their fathers spending happy times together. Catherine's language consists of brief phrases that always end with the word "time" to describe the series of double-page spreads of dads and children together. Campion's illustrations appear to be digitally rendered and display an animation-style aesthetic. Beginning with "Favorite song time" and ending with a predictable "Sweet dream time," a not-very-diverse cast of dad-child pairs plays hide-and-seek, has tea, reads fairy tales, bakes, hugs, talks, builds, rakes leaves, walks the dog and brushes teeth. Of the 14 vignettes presented, only three contain characters that are obviously not Caucasian--there's one black pair, one Asian pair and one that could possibly be Latino. Although hair color sometimes varies between parent and child, there are no biracial pairs. Some young readers will enjoy recognizing the familiar activities that they experience with their parents, but with no story, the bland renditions of the various activities taking place and the lack of diversity, the overall appeal is low. Companion title Me and Mom is similarly flawed. Do not spend much time deliberating about this title--pass. (Picture book. 2-5)

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March 1, 2014
Preschool-K Dadswhat are they good for? Catherine provides a dozen or so suggestions in this gentle look at the good times one can have with the old man. Each of a series of double-page spreads depicts a father and child doing an activity together. Some are fun ( fairy tale time ) and some are rote ( shiny smile time when brushing teeth), but all evidence affectionate everyday interactions. Campion uses appealing, retro-style illustrations to give readers a wide variety of dads to identify with, from the hip-looking dude painting with his daughter ( colorful family portrait time ), to the bearded guy chasing his kid in the park ( sneaky hide-n-seek time ), to the bespectacled fellow squashed up to fit at a play table ( fancy tea party time ). It ends, naturally enough, with bedtime, establishing that fathers will be there throughout many experiences. Though this is sweet enough for any family, it might be especially useful for a child who does not live with his or her father and is nervous about an impending visit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)