A Father Like That by Charlotte Zolotow / Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

It's not always easy to find picture books that feature a missing parent...especially if that parent is missing voluntarily. This new picture book features a boy describing what his father would be like if he were around.

This kind of father would share jokes from the office, would bring home a new book if the boy was sick, would help with the dishes, and would play checkers. The litany continues and the variety and detail of the activities is one of the most endearing qualities of the book.

The illustrations are very good and complement the story nicely. The book ends with the mother who is "sewing very fast" saying "when you grow up, you can be a father like that yourself!"

Fathers everywhere should read this book to see what good fathers look like to good kids. A charming book without the saccharine feel that some mother/father books can give.

A Bear and His Boy by Sean Bryan

Here's another book about not getting caught up in lists and tasks to do on a day to day basis. Can ya tell that I myself am a slave to my lists?

One day a bear wakes up to find a boy on his back. I LOVE the fact that the bear is the one surprised by this, not the boy. The boy simply remarks nonchalantly "My name is Zach."

If you yourself woke up one day with a bear or a fairy or a Smurf or something equally surprising on your back, what would you do? The bear already has a full day planned and decided to just take the boy along.

The bear's day planner is hilariously like my own...I mean really...how does anyone think they will be able to accomplish eating flapjacks, collecting an award, going to a karate lesson, bird-watching, working out, returning a book to the library, cleaning house, and remembering a friends birthday all in one day? Me apparently. My days are turning into one long to-do list, much to the dismay of my husband. I need some little someone to appear on my back to remind me to smell the lilacs. Because that's just what the boy does at the end of the story.

Did I mention the restful simplicity of the pictures or the hilarious rhyme scheme? Or the great twist at the end? Here is one charmer of a picture book sure to entertain even the most discriminating reader. Till next time! - Suzanne