Sleepy Boy, by Polly Kanevsky

Kanevsky, Polly. Sleepy Boy. Illustrated by Stephanie Anderson. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006. 32 pages. $15.95, ISBN 978-0689867354

AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year olds

GENRE
Picture book

REVIEW 
A little boy has had a full day, including a visit to the zoo, and is having trouble falling asleep.  He has gone through all the bedtime rituals, but still cannot somehow close his eyes and head off to dreamland.  In almost every charcoal and watercolor illustration we see a small lion cub lingering, hinting at the great impression that the day had on the boy.  The boy's father interacts tenderly with him, holding him and stroking his hair as he coaxes him to sleep.  This book is recommended for the way in which its illustrations and text create a calming atmosphere conducive to encouraging sleep in children.  Even though the illustrations could perhaps contain a bit more variety, the softness of their lines is soothing.  The father's calm requests that his son just "shut one eye" and "now shut the other eye," interspersed with detailed descriptions of the sensations that the boy is feeling, come together in an almost rhythmic way that make this a good bedtime story for 3 and 4 year-olds.

LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
This is a good song to accompany this book at preschool storytime, as it concerns bedtime and a mother animal and her child:

          LISTEN TO THE TREE BEAR

          Listen to the tree bear,
          Crying in the night,
          Crying for his mammy
          In the pale moonlight.
         
          What will his mammy do
          When she hears him cry?
          She'll tuck him in a coco pod
          And sing a lullaby.
          She'll tuck him in a coco pod
          And sing a lullaby.

Two Homes, by Claire Masurel

Masurel, Claire. Two homes. Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton. Candlewick Press, 2001. 40 pages. $14.99, ISBN 0-7636-0511-5

 AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds

GENRE
Picture book

REVIEW
A child named Alex, who appears to be 3-4 years old, narrates this story about his post-divorce world. He lives part-time with his mom in the city and part-time with his dad near the ocean. He has two of everything: two bedrooms, two toothbrushes, and friends in each location.  And most important of all, he knows that he always has the love of both of his parents.  Alex's calm acceptance of this living situation and his happiness while going about his day at each home will assist children of divorce. The watercolor and gouache illustrations are warm and inviting and fill each page with lots of interesting details to discover.  A couple of the illustrations may contain too much detail for young 1 year-olds, but the brief text on each page makes for a short story which will be enjoyable for most younger children.

LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
After reading this story aloud at toddler or preschool storytime, children can follow Alex's lead and create paintings of a parent or another special person in their lives.

I Lost My Dad, by Taro Gomi

Gomi, Taro. I Lost My Dad. Illustrated by Taro Gomi. Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 2001. 32 pages. $12.95, ISBN 1-929132-04-2

AGE LEVEL
1 and 2 year-olds

GENRE
Picture book

REVIEW
Suddenly separated from a loved one in a shopping mall, who among us at some time in our childhood hasn’t experienced the sheer panic that we might never find them again? Taro Gomi’s young first-person narrator finds himself in this exact position, one moment all smiles at the controls of a small crane in the toy department, the next open-mouthed and realizing that he is alone and staring at a crowd of unknown faces. Gomi, however, turns a potentially frightening situation into a fun game, as our young hero runs through the clothing department, the musical instruments display, and even into the men’s bathroom on his quest to find Dad. Several pages of the book are cut in unique sizes, allowing a portion of the next page to show, leading our protagonist to chase what he believes could be Dad’s tie, his hat, his shoes, etc. The inclusion of a brief five to ten words on each two-page spread is a perfect match for the 0-4 age group, as is the repetitive nature of the plot in which the narrator thinks several times that he’s found Dad, only to have his hopes dashed once the page is turned. The watercolor illustrations are simple and humorous, revealing the main characters’ emotional states with the smallest of strokes. This book is just simply enormous fun, complete with a thrilling escalator conclusion!

LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
This is a good time for librarians to remind parents/caregivers to set up a "lost" action plan, so that their children know what to do if they are ever in this situation. A police officer could even be invited to provide practical tips.  A good song/action rhyme to accompany this book is:

          FIVE LITTLE DUCKS

          5 little ducks went out one day
          Over the hills and far away, 
          Mommy/Daddy duck called quack quack quack,
          But only 4 little ducks came back.

          4 little ducks went out one day
          Over the hills and far away,
          Mommy/Daddy duck called quack quack quack,
          But only 3 little ducks came back.

          Repeat the pattern for 3 little ducks, 2 little ducks, 1 little duck…

          No little ducks went out one day
          Over the hills and far away,
          Mommy/Daddy duck called quack quack quack,
          And 5 little ducks came wandering back.

My Father is Taller than a Tree, by Joseph Bruchac and Wendy Anderson Halperin

Bruchac, Joseph. My Father is Taller than a Tree. Illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin. Dial Books for Young Readers, 2010. 28 pages. $16.99, ISBN 978-0-8037-3173-8

AGE LEVEL
3 and 4 year-olds

GENRE
Picture book

REVIEW

Whether standing at the edge of the clouds overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge or simply horsing around in the family room, these fathers and sons revel in the simple joy of togetherness. In two short sentences apiece, Bruchac captures special moments between thirteen father-son pairs, focusing on these dads’ attentiveness to their boys: “Dad knows the times I like to hide / and when to call me back inside.” In her illustrations, Halperin combines crayon and colored pencil to beautifully sketch and shade each pair’s day. Her inclusion of one large drawing and four smaller ones of each pair is a unique format which answers the question of 'what happened next' in a satisfying way. Other stand-out aspects of this book are its inclusion of father-son pairs of various ethnicities and races, fathers of various ages, and a visually challenged dad.  Due to the amount of detail in the smaller illustrations on each two-page spread, this is a book to take your time with as you share it, especially with 0-2 year olds.

LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
For younger children, pair this book with the following lap-bounce rhyme, advising caregivers to substitute child’s name for ‘Uncle John’, and insert alternatives for "father" and "mother" as needed, depending on the child's home situation.

          FATHER AND MOTHER AND UNCLE JOHN:

         
          Father and Mother and Uncle John went to market one by one. (Hold child 
          on lap, facing away.  Bounce child gently up and down on your knees.)

          Father fell off. (Drop legs quickly or dip child to one side.)

          Mother fell off. (Drop legs quickly or dip child to other side.)

          But Uncle John went on and on and on... (Bounce faster and faster.)