Papa Brings Me the World

April 1, 2020
A father's travels inspire a young child to dream of exploring the world. Lu's papa is a photojournalist who frequently leaves their cozy home to take pictures all over the world. Each time he returns, Papa brings Lu a small treasure: coins, an abacus, a game, a musical instrument. Lu misses Papa but never wishes for him to stop traveling. When Papa's gone, Lu tracks his travels on a map and flips through his illustrated journals, dreaming of being old enough to travel too. Finally, it's time! With an empty journal ready to be filled, Lu declares "I was born to explore. Just like Papa." Lu's first-person narrative is filled with Papa's stories, heartfelt conversations between father and child, and Papa's letters. Collages rendered with cut, layered paper and finished off with painted textures and rubber stamps create a warm, earthy atmosphere. The illustrations--which feature a brown-skinned, dark-haired father and child and a fair-skinned, dark-haired mama--alternate between filling the whole page, and highlighting a specific moment or object. Backmatter, including a map showing the origins of Papa's small treasures and a game for readers to play with friends or family plus Papa's and Lu's illustrated journals, creates plenty of connections to personal expression and educational concepts. An accompanying note provides details about the author's own childhood with a father who traveled the world. A comforting story that will prompt exploration at home or in school. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 15, 2020
Preschool-G *Starred Review* When Lulu's father leaves for work, he kisses her tear-stained cheeks, saying, Mmmmmmmm, salty. You taste like the Indian Ocean. A photojournalist, he often travels the world and returns with pictures, stories, and treasures, such as a thumb piano from Zimbabwe, an abacus from China, and an Ant, Person, Elephant (think Rock, Paper, Scissors) game he learned from children in Sumatra. Lulu dreams of joining him someday. And one day, she does! Filling her journal with details of the trip, she knows that she was born to explore, just like Papa. Inspired by Kostecki-Shaw's childhood, the story reads aloud well. The heart of this picture book is the warm father-daughter relationship, charmingly captured in the artwork, such as the opening image of Lulu sitting on Papa's lap and a later one when, wearing his enormous hiking shoes, she announces, I'm coming with you! Created in pleasing colors, the cut-paper collage illustrations work seamlessly with the text and reflect its sometimes dreamlike tone. An appended map page indicates where Papa found the treasures mentioned and asks viewers which countries they would like to explore. With its inviting story and imaginative illustrations, this picture book could spark curiosity about faraway places and encourage global awareness in young children.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

May 8, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-Unlike most parents who "drive a car or ride a bus or train to work," Lu's father is a photojournalist who travels the world, frequently leaving the little girl with her mother and baby sibling. Though the child delights in receiving souvenirs from all over the globe, her heartfelt longing for her father permeates the story, which draws from the author's own childhood experiences. "I love treasures, but I'd rather have Papa," Lu wistfully says. Despite the undercurrent of sadness, she maintains a connection to her father by sneaking notes into his luggage, poring over his travel journals, and cherishing the times when her father returns with exciting stories, all the while imagining a time she, too, will travel the world. Eventually, her dream comes true when her papa takes her to visit Australia. Kostecki-Shaw's mixed-media-acrylics, watercolors, salt, pencil, rubber stamps, collage-illustrations have a richness of texture, pattern, and color wonderfully suited to depicting the dazzling array of multicultural mementos, as well as conveying the touching bond between Lu and her parents. An author's note, map, and suggestion for a treasure game are included in the back pages. VERDICT The author's look back never falters in conveying a child's perspective, in a cozy and loving tale that includes an important message of global connection.-Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Lib., Boston Univ.

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 25, 2020
“Born to explore,” Lu’s photojournalist father “navigates mountains, deserts, and oceans,” creating “windows into magical worlds.” When he returns from a trip, he brings coins (“the ones with holes are my favorites”), other objects (“a driftwood dragon”), and stories from various destinations. Though his daughter treasures it all—textural mixed-media collage by Kostecki-Shaw reveals a full spread of the items—and understands that coming and going is her father’s job, she yearns to travel with him. “Until then,” he says, “I’ll bring the world to you.” Through pages that tell of trips to Cameroon, China, Mali, Mexico, Sumatra, and Zimbabwe, among other places, the creator conveys the idea that there are many ways to be in the world; she also imagines one way that parents can offer glimpses of its bounty as an introduction to broader experience. Ages 3–6.