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Description
Katie Yamasaki's newest picture book is an intimate and tender story of the love between a father and a daughter.
Dad wakes early every morning before the sun, heading off to work at the bakery. He kneads, rolls, and bakes, and as the sun rises and the world starts its day, Dad heads home to his young daughter. Together they play, read, garden, and--most importantly--they bake.
This lovely, resonant picture book was inspired by muralist Katie Yamasaki's work with formerly incarcerated people. With subtle, uncluttered storytelling amplified by her monumental and heartfelt paintings, she has created a powerful story of love, of family, and of reclaiming a life with joy.
The plot of this thoughtful book is summed up by its brilliantly succinct title, but there is much more beneath the surface! Dad, tattooed and tired, works as a baker early every morning. He returns home for a nap, before spending the day with his young daughter. Together, they knead dough and spend time reading and playing while it rises. Yamasaki's characters are brimming with life and movement that is set against bright backgrounds. Comic-style panels are occasionally employed to depict the passage of time. The straightforward text of simple sentences is often smartly placed within open areas of the artwork. Yamasaki, a muralist by trade, incorporates sound effects into her beautiful illustrations. When characters hum or yawn, ribbons of the effect emanate from them, as if they are releasing steam. Dad and his daughter present as part of the AAPI community. In the book's back matter is a guide to nonprofit organizations who help families rebuild after a parent has been incarcerated. While it could be inferred that Dad was formerly incarcerated, that fact is never explicitly mentioned in the text. Instead, the book stands as a affirmation of a man's love as a father, his work as a baker, and his humanity. VERDICT This deeply empathetic title invites conversation and participation from so many angles; it is a must for all collections.
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review
Inspired by families affected by incarceration, muralist Yamasaki (Everything Naomi Loved) follows a bald, tattooed, apparently East Asian father and his child in this deceptively simple picture book. "Dad wakes," the volume opens; he stretches as a clock reads 3 a.m., a golden ribbon with a protracted "yawn" stretching from his mouth. Heading out through empty city streets ("The moon shines./ Dad walks"), he arrives at Rise Up! Bakery, where he joins tattooed Black and brown-skinned employees in baking bread. Author-illustrator Yamasaki offers spare, cadenced prose: "He scoops./ He kneads./ He rolls.// Dough rises./ Dad makes small rolls, / Dad makes large loaves." At daybreak, Dad returns home; after resting, he and his child make their own dough, waiting for it to rise as they spend time together in paneled vignettes--gardening, reading, playing soccer--before Dad gives his child a warm surprise. Richly saturated, dynamic paintings showcase expressive, inclusive community, and intricately detailed spreads offer plenty to pore over in this meditative tale centering the significance of daily rhythms as well as familial and community love. Back matter includes an affecting author's note, including links to organizations that support formerly incarcerated people and their families. Ages 6-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Katie Yamasaki is a muralist, author, and teacher. When she was growing up, the World War II internment of 110,000 Japanese and Japanese American citizens was never discussed in school--even though most of Katie's Japanese family was interned. Inspired by her family's history, she wrote Fish for Jimmy to honor their bravery and the memory of those like them. Based in Brooklyn, New York, she travels widely across the world to paint in and work with diverse communities. She is passionate about art as dialogue and storytelling.
