parents

Review: My Dad Is Big and Strong, But… by Coralie Saudo

| Tasha

my dad is big and strong but

My Dad Is Big and Strong, But… by Coralie Saudo, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo

Released May 8, 2012.

Translated from the French, this picture book takes the traditional bedtime story and turns it upside down.  Every night it’s the same thing, Dad does not want to go to bed.  The boy tries to get his father to bed nicely by using logic, but his dad just gets wilder and wilder.  The boy refuses to chase after him, instead offering a quiet story together.  That always works, and the two of them sit together in a chair: the father on the boy’s small lap.  Two stories later, and the boy finally has his father tucked into bed, but the process is not done yet.  The boy can’t head to his own bed yet or his father will ask to sleep with him.  And though his father may be big and strong, he’s also afraid of the dark.

This picture book has a wonderful charm about it that really works.  While there are other books that turn the parent/child relationship around, this one does it with a gentleness and honest joyfulness that is simply lovely.  A large part of this is the tone of the writing.  The sentence structure also works well, showing the skill of the translation.  The book plays with so many of the stereotypes of getting children to sleep that it is a delight to share with children.

Giacomo’s illustrations keep the size of the father and son as different as possible.  As you can see from the cover, the boy is quite small.  It is that size difference that adds so much humor to the illustrations, especially when the father is sitting on the boy’s lap for a story.  Another wonderful whimsical touch is the way the father heads to bed in hat and tie, rather than pajamas. 

Doing a pajama or bedtime story time?  This book would work very well there.  It is also a great pick for bedtime snuggles, though you might find yourself on your child’s lap just to try it out.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

Review: Tom the Tamer by Tjibbe Veldkamp

| Tasha

tom the tamer

Tom the Tamer by Tjibbe Veldkamp, illustrated by Philip Hopman

Tom may be able to train snails to jump on a trampoline and squirrels to swing from trapezes in the trees, but he can’t convince his father to go outdoors.  His dad is too frightened of all of the animals out there.  So Tom sets out with a plan to bring the animals in to his father.  He starts by heading to the local pet store and buying a polar bear.  He trains the polar bear in the park and by that evening, the polar bear is pretending to be their new furry white chair in the house.  Tom’s father loves the new chair and never notices that it is actually a polar bear.  The next day, Tom heads out and gets even more animals from the pet store, training them all to act like different pieces of furniture.  Soon the entire living room is filled with animals, and Tom’s father loves all of the new “furniture” too.  But what will happen when he finds out that Tom got all of these new things at the pet store?

Veldkamp has created a broad comedy that stretches the imagination in a most wonderful way.  It also takes the parent/child relationship and merrily turns it on its head.  Tom is a very creative young man, seeing the world in his own unique way and definitely not in the way that his father does. 

Hopman’s illustrations add to the fun, from the crowded shelves of the pet store to the graceful curve and smile of a polar bear chair.  The illustrations have a certain wildness but also a friendly style that makes sure that everyone knows this is pure fun.

An exuberant book that is full of zany fun, this Dutch import would be a great addition to an animal story time.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Lemniscaat.