One Day, Daddy - Hardcover

Thomas, Frances

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786807326 ISBN 13: 9780786807321

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2001

Synopsis

Little Monster has a problem. He knows that one day he will want to be an explorer in outer space. But that will mean leaving behind his parents - and he will be lonely without them.

Children will identify with Little Monster as he imagines the big possibilities in his future, and be reassured by the message that even outer-space explorers can come back home to their parents.

About this title

About the Author

Frances Thomas's previous collaborations with Ross Collins, What If?, is a Young Hoosier State Award nominee, and was named a "Blue Ribbon Book of 1999" by the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. She lives in London, England.

Reviews

reS-Little Monster is considering his future. "[M]aybe one day I'll want to be an explorer," he says, but then concedes that this might be a problem. "You see, Daddy, if I'm an explorer, I'll have to leave you and Mommy behind," because "Explorers don't take their mommies and daddies along with them." From here the conversation between child and parent turns to possible adventures, from the moon to unnamed stars. With each of Father Monster's comments or questions, the tyke stretches ever farther in his exploration of the universe and his self-confidence. Just as his mother did in Thomas's What If? (Hyperion, 1998; o.p.), now his father helps the youngster discover his own answers to problems: "-you have to be lonely to do some things," but "-one day I'll come back, Daddy." Children will delight in the adult's silly comments. Blasts of color soar across the pages, letting the exploration go beyond the margins of the text. The monsters' faces express a range of emotions-worry, joy, wonder, pride, and pensiveness. This book will be an excellent choice for preschoolers embarking on new and independent adventures. Although best shared one-on-one, it will also work for read-alouds and storytimes.-Carolyn Janssen, Children's Learning Center of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County,

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The British creators of What If? here introduce Little Monster who, sitting in a spaceship fashioned from a plastic tub with taped-on wings, announces to his father that "I've got this problem." Representing a realistic balance of self-assurance and reticence, the youngster goes on to say that "maybe one day" he'll want to be an explorer and venture into space, which would mean he'd have to leave his parents behind. Thomas creates a narrative composed entirely of the winsome dialogue between the duo, and Collins's artwork follows the youngster on his prospective exploits, as he soars to the moon and then onto Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and finally "all the way out into space, beyond the planets," until he reaches the stars. When Little Monster promises to send home a moon rock, the elder monster plays along, noting that he would display it on the mantel. Father Monster's soothing voice serves to ground the child's fanciful flight; at one point he asks his aspiring explorer, "Won't you be lonely there?" to which the wise child responds, "Yes, but you have to be lonely to do some things." The artwork offers some playful perspectives as the earnest hero zooms through space in his makeshift spaceship. This amiable "What if" tale may well encourage the imaginations of even prudent youngsters while bolstering a fledgling feeling of independence. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786807326
• ISBN 13: 9780786807321
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Collins Ross
• Number of pages: 32