Catalyst Press, 2022
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
After recently featuring two picture books that honor the unique and priceless relationships between siblings, HERE and HERE, I'm excited to share two outstanding titles that honor fathers and their roles in young lives. ON MY PAPA'S SHOULDERS is written and illustrated by Niki Daly. The lovely dedication sets the tone for this colorful, contemporary story set in a bustling urban community. The text allows readers to learn about the young boy for several pages, focused on the loving folks in his life who walk him to school each day. Mama does so often, Gogo on other days, and Tata on cold and rainy days.
Those routine companions provide patterns that are distinct and engaging: loving wishes, feeding cats, chats and discoveries, puddle splashing, whistles, hugs, ands handholding, all very heartwarming.
The young narrator loves them one and all, so by the time we are halfway through the story and he reveals that the days he loves best are when Papa takes him to school you know that Papa has crested a very high bar. Papa lifts him onto his shoulders, walking him through the clouds. They part with sincere "I love you"s, revealing that Father's Day nears and the boy is constructing a worksite suited to his hard-hatted Papa. The wait for this favorite relationship to appear on the page is effective in reminding young readers and their Papa's (and Mothers and Gogos and Tatas) that the greatest gifts are routines and security, as well as those daily parting gestures and words to launch a school day with deeply genuine love.
Lee & Low Books,m2022
JUNA AND APPA is written by Jane Park and illustrated by Felicia Hoshino. In this offering, the lead character is a young girl and the story is told through her third person perspective. It also shifts from the day-to-day school relationships with family to SATURDAYS, when Juna becomes Appa's helper at the dry cleaning store. she feels welcome and valued, even when she makes mistakes.
On Saturday a customer demanded the return of his very expensive jacket with the gold buttons, but it can't be found. Juna wants to help and search, but Appa's concern is stressful and he insists she just sit quietly- not an easy thing for Juna to do. Time after time her boredom sparks imagination and she experiences being tended to by one of three animal kingdom fathers who are superb parents: The giant water bug who carries the eggs laid on his back to keep them safe from predators until they hatch. The greater rhea who builds a nest in the ground for the eggs and then sits on them until they hatch. Finally the Darwin's frog, also known as cowboy frog who swallows the tadpoles into a vocal sac and keeps them safe there until he burps them up as full grown frogs. Each dreamy encounter leads her back to Appa, who is increasingly stressed. When Juna offers to help pay for the jacket with her meager savings, Appa reassures her that he will find the jacket on Monday and they take time for their weekly trip to the taco truck.
For any child who has ever sensed a parent's stress and longed to help solve the problem, this is a story of immense comfort layered with fascinating science and animal kingdom discoveries.
I highly recommend both titles, and encourage you to celebrate your own family histories or present routines, discovering new ones as opportunities arise.
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