Daddy looms large both figuratively and literally in Norac's (I Love You So Much) ode to a father from a child's perspective. In Godon's (One Beautiful Baby) full-bleed spreads, father and child appear against a background of solid color, with clothing changes and one or two props (a scooter, a bench, falling leaves) indicating multiple venues and seasons. In the opening illustration, the child clings to his father's back and both face readers, smiling. Ensuing pages show them engaged in a variety of activities. When they play hide-and-seek, the child reports, "My daddy has to hide behind a mountain"; the illustration shows the father kneeling behind snow-capped conical shapes. On another spread they walk on pale sandy ground against a white sky, and when the father sneezes, "It's like a hurricane. It blows the sea away." In the bottom right corner, a crab, starfish and fish jump from turbulent waves, while pickets blow off a nearby fence. While the words convey the child's belief that daddy possesses extraordinary powers, the pictures demonstrate that daddy's true strength derives from his consistent, loving involvement in his child's life, whether cuddling, playing games or just being there. Children may enjoy this story's gentle humor best from the warmth of Daddy's lap. Ages 3-6. (May) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
What a joy it is to meet an inquiring child who has found a perfect hero to worship, and the hero is a giant, his own father. What fun it is to go with them as the little one discovers that the giant in his family can gently hug and cradle, find a mountain to hide him in their game, allow tired clouds to rest on his shoulders, have birds nesting in his hair and kick a soccer ball as high as the moon. With this daddy, sneezes confound the fish blown in the sea and laughs peel the leaves from the trees, but he is wise enough to realize that the little ones must sometimes win; big fingers are much too clumsy to be successful at marbles. The loving relationship between father and child spills from the pages in illustrations that are uncluttered but contain details that promote the story line. The astonished fish displaced by a sneeze must bring a smile. The pages are filled with simple shared activities easily available to most families: walks, games not tied to an electric outlet, the fun of being jostled while piggy-back on a run, and just talking together are all adventures. The final pages with the text "My daddy is a giant, and when I grow up, I'm going to be a giant too." convey the ultimate result of successful parenting "fostering it in the next generation." It might be noted that although the child in the story is undoubtedly male, gender is not mentioned and enjoyment is not limited. The book is highly recommended and could easily serve as required reading in parenting classes at any level. 2005 (orig. 2004), Clarion Books, Ages 3 to 7.
—Mildred Hart
PreS-Norac's paean to a larger-than-life father breaks no new ground, but it will entertain youngsters nonetheless. The unnamed narrator claims that his father is a giant who can sneeze up a hurricane, kick a soccer ball to the moon, and make the ground shake when he runs. "But I'm not scared of anything when I'm in my daddy's arms." The simple premise captures the little boy's idolization of his dad well, and will certainly speak to children everywhere. However, there is no real story here. It is the oversize, brightly colored paint-and-pastel illustrations that are the real draw. With the man so large that he often has to bend his head or crouch down to fit onto the page, and the full-bleed spreads overflowing the book, these pictures will engage even the children in the last row of storytime. The slightly simplistic drawings depict the loving bond between father and son perfectly, bringing the relationship and text to life. While not a necessary purchase, father/child books are always in high demand, and collections that need more of them will find this one useful.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
The pride of a young boy who is growing up just like his daddy is evident in this look at their closeness. Clouds nap on this father's shoulders, birds nest in his hair and his hurricane sneezes blow the water in the sea away. The boy perfectly captures the perspective of young readers, to whom most adults are giants. This particular giant may make the earth tremble with his running, but children need not fear-how many true giants would stoop to playing marbles, knowing they will lose each time? The son sums it up nicely when he says, "I'm not scared of anything when I'm in my daddy's arms." Muted colors, blurred details and few distractions in the background bring the reader's focus to facial expressions, which, although subtle, do make the bond between father and son that much more apparent. The matching cowlicks in their red hair help, too. (Picture book. 3-6)
"A pleasing palette of offbeat reds, blues, and greens—plus the added dimension of an appealing role model." HORN BOOK Horn Book
"Oversize, brightly colored paint-and-pastel illustrations...depict the loving bond between father and son, bringing the relationship and text to life." School Library Journal
"The boy perfectly captures the perspective of young readers, to whom most adults are giants." KIRKUS Kirkus Reviews
"Daddy looms large both figuratively and literally in Norac's ode to a father from a child's perspective." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Publishers Weekly
"A boy boast his admiration for his dad....the direct emotions are nicely extended by the clear images." Booklist, starred Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
