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TAD AND DAD

Name: TAD AND DAD
Author: David Ezra Stein
ISBN: 978-0-399-25671-4

by David Ezra Stein ; illustrated by David Ezra Stein ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2015

Caldecott honoree Stein makes another splash with this charming duo.

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A tadpole and his father spend their days together amicably, but when Dad tries to tuck his son in for the night, things do not go as planned.

Young Tad always joins Dad on his lily pad at night. At first Tad is so small that his father can adapt to his constant companion. But as Tad grows powerful legs and develops a loud singing voice to match his large mouth, Dad has had enough: “When you jump in my bed, I can’t sleep because you’re always wiggling and poking, kicking and croaking!” Narrator Tad is surprised at Dad’s reaction but is ready to swim away from his father for the first time. (Dad snores.) An uncommon commotion brings Tad back to discover that maybe Dad would like some company after all. Stein’s marker, crayon, and watercolor illustrations feature watery greens and browns. The rounded shapes of the frogs’ bodies, their glowing yellow eyes, and their broad, pink mouths pop, contrasting against the dark hues of the pond and the bright white and pale blue of the sky. Parents faced with a child who has trouble staying in his or her own bed will relate to Dad’s exasperation and chuckle at Tad’s persistence. Kids will enjoy Tad’s enthusiasm and obvious adoration of his father.

Caldecott honoree Stein makes another splash with this charming duo. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 21, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-399-25671-4

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
BEAKY BARNES AND THE DEVIOUS DUCK
by David Ezra Stein ; illustrated by David Ezra Stein

- BOOK REVIEW
BEAKY BARNES
by David Ezra Stein ; illustrated by David Ezra Stein

- BOOK REVIEW
INTERRUPTING CHICKEN
by David Ezra Stein ; illustrated by David Ezra Stein

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LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 15, 2015

Safe to creep on by.

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Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.

In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.

Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BUG?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
MY FIRST I SEE YOU
by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)