My Father Knows the Names of Things

While cheerful, this book is also a memorial to Yolen's late husband. Freely drawn by Jorisch in pen and watercolor, an effortlessly confident father guides his mop-headed child through a series of adventures. On an amusement ride, he points out astrological marvels, and their travels often center on the natural world (He knows which mosses are the fuzziest, / He knows which insects are the buzziest). Yolen's easeful rhymes and Jorisch's warm illustrations craft a bighearted tribute to fathers' seemingly infinite capacities for informationand their willingness to share it. Ages 48. (Apr.)

Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly, Used with permission

PreS-Gr 1. This paean to fatherhood is not really a story but rather a list of all of the things the narrator's father knows, ending with, "He points out everything we see/And teaches all the names to me." It is simply a poetic love song and as such could be very effective. Unfortunately, the rhyme scheme is occasionally uneven. While lines like "My father knows the names of things, /Each different sort of bell that rings," work fine, they are followed by "And stones, /And knows the names of planets, /Stars, /And even human bones." The mixed-media illustrations, however, are wonderful. The boy and his dad exude love and companionship as they paint walls, study bugs, and fly in fanciful airplanes together. The pictures are full of movement and whimsy, and the final scene shows the child in bed in a darkened room, dreaming, with his father looking in on him. The paintings are detailed and varied and do an impressive job of depicting the imagery in Yolen's poem. - Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

There is time enough for kids to learn their parents have feet of clay—this breath of fresh air is just right until then. (Picture book. 2-5)

Copyright 2010 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission