Two decent books, but neither GRABED me. Of course, if a book did grab me, that is a WHOLE other story!
The first is Kicks by Van G. Garrett (which sounds like a cool name for a sneaker brand to start with). This is a lyrical book of a young child who just enjoys his “kicks” or his shoes. He shows all the fun and nifty things he can do, be, and how awesome his shoes are. Younger children can enjoy the seriously booming off the page colors that fill the illustrations of Reggie Brown. And they can enjoy the hip-hop atmosphere of the text. Yet, there was nothing that made me say, “Best book ever.” Or even know who I could recommend this too. It is a good book, but not one that I find an easy sell. The diversity of the characters is a strong plus.
And then we have Girl Dad. Now, I have a dad and I am a girl (shoot, my sister is a girl and has a dad too. In fact, we share the same one, until he annoys me, then he’s all hers), but I was not like the girl in the story. Sure, my dad did some of the things (he did do a few games and such) but we were never this “girly”, and he had my mom for the “hard stuff.” This book celebrates from what I can see, single fathers with girls who are being raised to be strong. Sean Williams and Jay Davis have sweet text and illustrations that move the poetic-like tone along.
Both picture books are any ages, but they are probably not for the over seven group, unless they are looking for a solo read.