A child and dad pack a surfeit of joyous activities into their day together in the exuberant slice-of-life early reader My Day with Dad from designer and comic artist Rae Crawford (creator of the webcomic I'm Broken. Send Help.).
The endpapers show a smiling, bouncy-haired, amber-skinned child and their cheery white father waving goodbye to brown-skinned Mom. On the first page, the young protagonist dances while informing the reader, "I am having a day with my dad." Soon flour spatters and pancakes fly as "I mix. Dad flips," and the family's adorable dog swipes a strip of bacon. After breakfast and chores, their planned bike ride falls victim to a dreary storm, but a round of board games brings the mood back up until the sky clears. An afternoon of kite-flying, puddle-splashing, and cloud-watching flies by too quickly, but Dad keeps the good times rolling with movie night and a pillow fight before a calming bedtime story. The child's contentment echoes in their understated yet impactful thought, "It's nice to have a day with my dad."
Crawford's cartoon-style digital drawings have a wonderful feeling of movement and buoyancy, with wind-tossed trees, taut-stringed kites, and one wiggly pup. The vibrant palette amps up the energy in this down-to-earth narrative that reflects the lives of many families. Characters have clear, expressive faces with frequent smiles. Readers ready for short sentences with mostly one-syllable words will find a cozy, feel-good outing awaiting in this comforting celebration of the bond between dad and child. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth experience manager, Dayton Metro Library