BECAUSE I AM YOUR DADDY

This Y-chromosome companion to Because You Are My Baby (2008) follows a similar format, positing a hypothetical and its follow-through on each double-page spread: “If I were a scientist, we would dig up ancient bones / And find the biggest dinosaur the world has ever known.” As in the previous edition, as well, the scansion stumbles and the rhymes sometimes struggle; moreover, the statements occasionally don’t make much sense. The sentiment is crystal-clear, however, and Hall’s simply gorgeous retro-styled watercolors depicting a dad with his dark-haired daughter and her dolly go to town with each premise—the image of the three of them surfing is nothing short of breathtaking in its jewel-toned splashy motion. The final hypothetical—“if I were a wizard”—ties them all together ever so neatly. (Picture book. 3-5)