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Summary
Summary
Perfect for Father's Day! Dad and stepdad have one important thing in common in a blended-family scenario many readers will happily recognize.
I have two fathers. I call this one Dad, and this one Pop.
Dad is tall and wears suits. Pop is bald and wears boots. Dad's into gadgets and Pop's into plants; one paints on easels, the other on walls; and they certainly don't share the same taste in music! In this funny, affectionate ode to fathers and stepfathers, a young girl explains that while Dad and Pop may seem completely different, in one crucial way they're exactly the same -- they both love her.
Author Notes
Kelly Bennett is author of many books for children including NOT NORMAN: A GOLDFISH STORY. Kelly Bennett divides her time between Houston, Texas, and Jakarta, Indonesia.
Paul Meisel is the illustrator of HARRIET'S HAD ENOUGH by Elissa Haden Guest and WHAT'S THE MATTER IN MR. WHISKER'S ROOM? by Michael Elsohn Ross, among many other books. He lives in Newtown, Connecticut.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A girl with red pigtails good-naturedly explains that she has two fathers: Dad (her biological father) and Pop (her stepfather). Both emerge with distinctive personalities ("Pop takes pictures. Dad takes naps"), though, the more she compares them, the less different they seem ("Dad teaches me to cook. So does Pop.... Dad loves music. So does Pop"). Also clear: that they both love her. The understated narration and subtly humorous mixed media cartoons make a potentially complicated-but familiar-situation feel easy and natural. Ages 4-7. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
A girl lists the differences between her father and stepfather ("Pop takes pictures. Dad takes naps") but concludes by noting their common ground: "They both love me!" This reassuring book will appeal to a wide audience beyond those readers who share the narrator's domestic situation. Meisel's illustrations portray the two dads' divergent looks and sensibilities. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
On the first page, the young girl narrating this story announces that she has two fathers. On subsequent pages, the illustrations make it clear that Dad is her birth father and Pop is her stepfather. She shares some of the ways her two fathers are different ( Pop is bald. Dad is not ) and then some of the ways they are similar ( Dad teaches me to cook. So does Pop ). Pleasant, comforting cartoon-style illustrations in watercolor, acrylic, and pastel show each father separately but happily engaged in fun activities with the daughter, highlighting how the fathers approach even similar activities from quite different perspectives. The narrative ends with the statement, But in the most important way they are exactly the same they both love me! We're Growing Together, by Candice Ransom (1993), When We Married Gary, by Ann Grossnickle Hines (1996), and Oh, Brother! by Nikki Grimes (2008), are also about blended families, although none have two fathers present.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A cheerful girl explains that Dad and Pop are different in many ways, but the same in their love for her. Although visual clues lead readers to conclude that Dad is the girl's biological father and that Pop is her stepfather, the text never makes this distinction, giving both men equal treatment. In fact, without the subtitle, the relationships might not be entirely clear. Mom is an incidental character. The daughter proclaims, "To meet them, you'd think Dad and Pop were as different as two fathers could be," and goes on to contrast their physical appearances and hobbies. While the men's favorite activities imply that Dad is a sophisticate and Pop is more earthy, children are unlikely to see much of a schism between indoor versus outdoor cooking or between motorcycling and bicycling. However, this is a minor quibble, since the key is not the men's differences but their underlying sameness. This is a positive and playful portrayal of a blended family. Bright, friendly cartoon illustrations show the happy family members engaged in all kinds of activities. Expressive faces and gentle humor add charm to the pictures. Youngsters with stepparents will appreciate seeing themselves in the story, and all children will enjoy seeing the loving attention heaped upon the protagonist.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A cheery celebration of fathers and stepfathers' dual roles in their children's lives. In simple, declarative sentences, a little red-haired girl compares and contrasts her birth father (Dad) and stepfather (Pop): From physical differences ("Dad is tall. Pop is not") to behavioral ones ("Dad's into gadgets. / Pop's into plants"), the two seem to have little in common. Even when they're the same, they're different: When "Dad teaches me to cook. / [And s]o does Pop," the former bakes in a kitchen while the latter grills outdoors. Meisel's sunny line-and-color illustrations make it clear, though, with warm familiarity, that whatever the differences between these two men, they both love their little girl without reservation. Wholly good-hearted, this small book demonstrates a sweetly child-centric ideal for divorced and blended families to aim at. (Picture book. 3-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.