Wild about Dads

PreS-Gr 1--This heartwarming story depicts dads in the animal kingdom. Murray uses rhyming couplets to explore fatherhood among animals including eagles, pelicans, hippos, and foxes. "Dads like fishing in a creek, and playing games, like hide-and-seek." That text is paired with an image of an eagle diving toward a fish while his eaglets awaits in a nest, and another image of a prairie dog father peeking underground to see his many playful pups. The colorful palette of the matte illustrations connotes the warm relationships between male parents and children. The book opens and closes with a diverse group of human fathers interacting with their children. Back matter includes accessible facts about the animals featured. VERDICT Suitable for read-alouds and a solid choice for Father's Day.--Ramarie Beaver, formerly at Plano Public Library, TX

Comparing frequently attested human filial attributes to those of animal fathers, Murray tackles the age-old question: "what are dads like, anyway?" Alongside Alvarez's colorful, swooping illustrations of creaturely families, rhyming lines describe the ways that male animals help their young: "Dads can help you reach up high" accompanies a bearded emperor tamarin assisting a little one with hanging fruit; "and help to keep you warm and dry" shows emperor penguins balancing fluffy chicks on their feet. Other animal families featured include African wild dogs, eagles, gorillas, pelicans, and sandhill cranes. The claim that "no two dads are quite the same" may fly in the face of the book's more generalized accounting ("Dads like fishing in the creek, / and playing games, like hide-and-seek"), but Murray makes it clear that many fathers, animal and human alike, are capable caretakers. Back matter lists dad facts about each species referenced. Ages 3-6. (May)

This heartwarming story depicts dads in the animal kingdom...Suitable for read-alouds and a solid choice for Father's Day. — School Library Journal