Made for Me

March 5, 2018
The memorable new father in this endearing rhyming story may be brawny, but he melts at the sight of his baby boy: “Your mouth, your ears, and even your nose,/ your chubby cheeks and your wiggly toes,” he coos. In Italian artist De Lauretis’s grainy compositions, the father’s balloon-shaped bulk lies in comical contrast to the tininess of the infant (a ginger like his dad). The father bottle-feeds the boy, tickles his feet and tummy, and bathes him. As the boy gets a little older, the dad swaps out his baseball cap for a polka-dotted handkerchief: “A trip to the beach set the wheels in motion./ You built a sandcastle, took a dip in the ocean.” Bush’s easy-reading verse captures the wonder of becoming a parent and the joy to be found in the quiet moments of child care. Ages 1–3.

April 1, 2018
A giant hulk of a man describes his emotions as his child captures his heart."On the day you were born, I beamed with pride. / My eyes filled with tears. I joyfully cried. / From the moment I saw you and called out your name, / the world as I knew it was never the same." The rest of the book proceeds to demonstrate just how thoroughly this tot has their father wrapped around their finger and shows the dad lovingly caring for his growing child's every need: bottles, diapers, soothing, tickling, feeding, bathing, playing, reading, and exploring the world. While the rhyme and rhythm aren't always spot-on and one illustration depicts a crib instead of the cradle referred to in the text, there is no denying the appeal of this father-child pair, as their bond is more than apparent. The dichotomy between the tiny redheaded tot and the giant lumberjack-look-alike dad--red plaid shirt, blue jeans, full red beard and mustache, and tiny head perched atop a round body with tree-trunk forearms--both white, adds to the sweet sentimentality (sometimes slipping into saccharine) of this book. While young children may relish the opportunity to use this as a springboard for hearing about their own babyhoods with their dads, new fathers are just as likely an audience, the sweet refrain--"Of all the children that ever could be, / you are the one made just for me"--tugging at heartstrings.New dads will eat this up. (Picture book. 3-7)

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