How to Cheer Up Dad

January 6, 2014
A spirited elephant is on a mission to improve his father’s mood—after having sorely tested his patience—in Koehler’s jaunty and smartly constructed debut. Dad’s day starts off badly when he puts raisins in Little Jumbo’s oatmeal. “He should have known what a mess that would make,” reads Koehler’s sly text, as Little Jumbo pea-shoots raisins to the ceiling with his trunk. Things quickly devolve as Little Jumbo’s antics earn him a timeout, but he sets things to rights with supposedly Dad-centric activities (“Since Dad loved dessert, Little Jumbo agreed to share an ice-cream cone”). Koehler’s words adopt the tone of a confident preschooler, while his sweetly scraggly illustrations depict the reality of each scenario with a wink; in an especially nifty moment, the yawning elephant on the cover of “Dad’s favorite story,” The Sleepy Little Elephant, masks Little Jumbo’s own face as they read together. Ample white space, a focused palette, and some quietly show-stopping moments (including a sunset spent fishing on a pier) keep focus on the highly relatable interactions between this father and son pair. Ages 3–5. Agent: Adams Literary.

Starred review from April 1, 2014
In Koehler's picture-book debut, Little Jumbo repeatedly tries the patience of his dad but then does his best to make everything better. Before the story starts, readers know that Dad is in for it. The title page shows a slumbering, pajama-clad elephant about to be pounced on by his son, who is already in midair. On the copyright page, Dad rushes to stop the tyke from consuming a spoonful of paste. So readers will understand the opening line: "Little Jumbo's dad was having a bad day." The understated text is paired with the irrepressible son's antics throughout, maintaining a constant level of hilarity. One spread's matter-of-fact text reads, "Dad put raisins in Little Jumbo's oatmeal. / He should have known what a mess that would make." The accompanying illustration depicts spunky and joyous Little Jumbo standing on his chair and peppering the ceiling with a splatter of rejected raisins. Dad has had enough--the two elephants have a standoff trunk to trunk. One timeout later, the young elephant starts trying to change the mood of his father. From a hug to playing catch, sharing a huge ice cream cone, fishing and reading a bedtime story, Little Jumbo sincerely does his best to make up for his behavior--but the final page makes it clear that the challenges will continue tomorrow. Welcome Little Jumbo! We hope we'll see more of you. (Picture book. 3-7)

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April 1, 2014

PreS-Little Jumbo's Dad is having a bad day. The cereal on the floor, the raisins stuck to the ceiling, and the game of hide-and-seek at bath time are not helping. Little Jumbo spends his time-out thinking of a way to cheer him up. A hug, a game of catch, and some ice cream start to do the trick. The simple, direct sentences provide the facts, but Koehler's digitally rendered pencil and pen drawings tell the real story of Little Jumbo's mischief. The understatement that "At breakfast, Dad put raisins in Little Jumbo's oatmeal./He should have known what a mess that would make" is complemented by pictures of Little Jumbo blowing raisins at the ceiling through his trunk, while "Dad forgot that Little Jumbo did not like wearing his brown overalls" is further clarified by the young elephant running down the street stark naked as Dad chases him with his clothes. Thick, black curving outlines give the elephants life against the angular, straight edges used for the household setting. Color is used sparingly and effectively, drawing attention to Little Jumbo's antics. Don't save this homage to Dads and their little mischief-makers just for Father's Day-it can be shared any time of year.-Kristine M. Casper, Huntington Public Library, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2014
Preschool-K *Starred Review* The expressive illustrations set the tone for this story demonstrating filial challenges and ongoing love. From the book jacket onward, Little Jumbo, a lively young elephant, is into or on top of everything, including Dad's stomach. Dad is not happy. Little Jumbo, however, is. When Dad forgets his son doesn't like wearing his brown overalls, the gray-and-brown colored art, highlighted with spots of color, shows triumphant, naked Jumbo running free, with a frantic father trying to catch him. Despite this kind of action, Koehler's true focus is on the visual interchanges between these two well-defined and charming characters. With the setting's minimalist backgrounds, facial expressions are easy to observe and decipher. Young readers will also learn a bit about empathy as the story progresses from Dad's trials to Little Jumbo's plans to make amends through shared pleasures, such as giving a hug, playing ball, and reading a book. All seems resolved until the final page, where childhood antics are celebrated once again. This debut author-illustrator gets the father-son relationship just right in a story that's warm and memorable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)