November 8, 2021
Inspired by six-year-old Gianna Floyd’s words about her father, George Floyd, in the wake of his murder, this picture book centers the loving relationship between fathers and children. Narrating from an unnamed child’s perspective and employing the refrain “Daddy speaks,” Henderson completes the phrase with a range of qualities in turn—love, truth, joy, comfort, learning, and more—using poetic prose. “Daddy speaks FUTURE/ and of history’s long, long past,// for Black lives to matter,/ for compassion,/ and change that will last,” reads a spread featuring a Black child placing a teddy bear beneath a mural of George Floyd. Evocative washes of watercolor by Lewis present realistic portraits of children and parents of varying skin tones participating in indoor and outdoor activities, including hiking in the woods, baking in the kitchen, visiting a museum, and attending a Black Lives Matter rally, effectively depicting a paradigm of fatherhood. Back matter includes an author’s note. Ages 4–8.
December 1, 2021
PreS-Gr 3-"Daddy speaks LOVE/ when he answers endless questions/ and makes a thousand plans./ New adventures await us morning till night./ Days full of tree climbs, / the longest of hikes." A new baby is lifted up by a loving Black father and life together begins with frailty and smallness, protected and cherished by families. This title delves deeply into the part fathers play in shaping the actions and minds of their children, and bettering the world their children will inherit. Featuring fathers and children of various races and ethnicities, the pages focus on small and big moments of the father-child relationship. Henderson pays tribute to the virtues of love, truth, joy, learning, dreaming, unity, trust, and pride among others, and shows how a father's actions can resonate far beyond those early years. Although all the fathers and children shown skew heteronormative, Lewis's watercolor artwork is nothing short of masterful and illuminates the text, capturing exquisite levels of detail throughout. The first and last page spreads are particularly captivating and feature a father with his child on a color field background, visually centering the intensity of the love parents feel for their children. An almost dream-like quality suits the poetic narrative perfectly. VERDICT This impressive title ponders and celebrates the many facets and complexities of fatherhood. A recommended purchase.-Sarah Simpson, Westerville P. L., OH
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2022
Grades K-1 This celebration of dads centers on their involvement, open minds, and activism toward a more equitable world. Each spread features a vignette pairing lyrical lines--"When Daddy speaks comfort, I'm so glad he's here"--with an artful watercolor painting depicting one of a rich variety of activities dads engage in, such as welcoming a newborn, hiking, nail painting for boys, encouraging resilience, telling stories, identifying role models, and learning about history--in particular the history of systemic racism and activism, which adds a hopeful note for a better future. Lewis' realistic paintings feature all kinds of dads, with the vast majority being men of color. The topics of Henderson's verses range from giving moral support when a baking project doesn't work out to opening a child's mind to social injustices that focus on Black Lives Matter. Each scene's evocative portraits meaningfully capture the expressions of children and dads, as well as the environment, in stunning detail. Match with Innosanto Nagara's board book A Is for Activist (2013), Bryan Collier's We Shall Overcome (2021), and Chris Singleton's Your Life Matters (2021).
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