GOOD MORNING, HARRY—GOOD NIGHT, DADDY

A split narrative follows Harry and his daddy through their days and nights.

Daddy is just heading out to start his workday when Harry comes home at the end of the day with Gran. While Daddy helps travelers settle into the sleeping cars on the London-Penzance train, where he works as a conductor, Harry’s mother and grandmother care for him and his baby brother. Although Daddy is apart from them, he’s very much present in their routines and surroundings. Family photos include Daddy, the boys reference trains in their play, and at dinner, “Harry helps Baby open wide for mushy peas. Chug–chug–chug. Here comes the train.” Parts of the text adopt a rhythmic, rhyming cadence that adds a lyrical quality to an oral reading: “Whoo-who sings the train, rocking on its way. / ‘Coo-coo,’ says Baby, wishing he could play.” Movement in and out of this style keeps the text light and nimble in its use of poetic conventions. Watercolor-and-ink illustrations are warm in their palette and in their expressions of affection among the family members, especially when Daddy returns in the morning at the end of his shift, just as Harry and the others begin their day. The whole family appears white with light skin and reddish-brown hair.

A good pick for reading aloud at any time of day.