This review was previously published. I have rewritten and edited it.

This is a book for the very youngest of the board book audiences. The text is simple, on each spread it identifies the animals "the bird daddy with his baby chick." There were a few inaccuracies. "baby frog" should be tadpole and "caterpillar daddy" should have been butterfly. This is disconcerting because all the other pictures are accurately labeled.

The pictures are shades of black, white, gray, and brown. They're very cute, showing the various father/child pairs posed to smile at each other happily. However, the black and white pictures, sometimes on white backgrounds, sometimes on black, don't always have a high definition. They look sort of stamped or maybe collage and can be sort of muddy at the edges in places.

Verdict: I went back and forth on this one, but the inaccurate vocabulary and indistinct pictures put me in the pass camp.

ISBN: 9781605371108; Published 2012 by Clavis; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

4Q, 4P
This is a very simple, but informative look at father animals with their children. It introduces vocabulary and keeps the attention with solid, simple shapes, and basic black and white illustrations. It is a basic labeling book without a story but still appropriate for both young and older toddlers.

How do you think children without a father in their lives react to this book?
Do you think there should be a distinct beginning or ending in this book?
Is black and white appropriate for a board book, especially when showing animals who are not black and white in real life? Will children be confused? ( )