--And it is a very nice one! It appears in the Feb. 1st issue of Booklist:That’s Papa’s Way. Banks, Kate (author)
Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Farrar/Frances Foster (9780374374457)
As the sun rises, a young girl and her father dig for earthworms in the woods, collect oars and life jackets, and row onto the lake for a day of fishing. In spare lines, the girl describes the day’s fun, noting the differences that make her and her dad unique. For example, Papa picks up worms with his fingers (“that’s his way”), but the girl prefers to use her shovel (“that’s my way”). What dad and daughter share is their affection for each other: when Papa gives his daughter an end-of-day hug, she says, “I hug him back, because that’s my way, too.” Small sensory details evoke the lake-house setting, from the sound of twigs snapping underfoot to the feel of the wind pushing the boat. But it’s the quiet, understated love between a parent and child that kids will connect with most. As in Emily Jenkins’ What Happens on Wednesdays (2007), Castillo’s winning artwork, rendered in thick charcoal lines and textured layers of paint, finds realistic, reassuring tenderness in a family’s everyday activities. — Gillian Engberg
