GIVING GOOD

A father spends quality time with his son.

On a snowy school night, a child narrator is picked up from his mom’s place. Daddy is there with his old, rusty car and telltale frayed black knit cap (“his crown”). The duo hop in the car together and head to Grandma’s house. The slightly somber car ride introduces some familial tension (“Don’t matter what he did or didn’t do. Daddy just got hit hard”), but the child focuses on love. After all, “Daddy always gives good. He always protects your feelings.” In Daddy’s room at Grandma’s, they construct model planes. It’s quiet at first, but soon the room is filled with laughter. Their precious time together comes to an end, but before dropping the child back at his mom’s, Daddy, noticing that the boy doesn’t have a hat, gives him his own cap—a tangible reminder of Daddy’s loving, generous spirit. Boyd beautifully depicts a father-son relationship weathering the difficulty of parental separation. Appropriately vague text immerses readers in the perspective of a child who lacks the full vocabulary to understand the situation. The cold tones outside of Daddy’s room contrast with the warmth inside to create a cozy, loving feeling when they share space together. The textural, photorealistic art style adds a richness to the double-page spreads. Like Boyd and his child in the author photo, Daddy has brown skin, while the child is lighter-skinned.

As special as can be.