Percival ( The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Norman, a “ perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.Ī boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.

The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!” his lamb baas back. 2-5)Ī succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.Ī grumpy bull says, “DADA!” his calf moos back. Moss’s non-judgmental tone and happy resolution diffuse the tensions of a commonplace scenario and makes this the ideal tale to share after the hectic whirl of a busy day. The soft hues of the illustrations coupled with the expressive drawings of the cub and parent offer a comforting foil to the heightened emotions of the text. Currey depicts images instantly recognizable to young readers homey kitchen scenes and the wild disarray of Billy’s bedroom are familiar landmarks. Bereft of these necessary creature comforts, Billy is inconsolable until Mama returns with Rabbit and a hearty dose of loving.

In her haste at preschool drop-off, Mama forgets to tell Billy she loves him and to give his bunny to him. As a result of all the lollygagging, Billy and his mom are late. While Mama urges Billy on, the young bear cub dawdles his way through the morning routine, blaming his beloved stuffed bunny for his delay. Moss perfectly captures the hustle and bustle of the daily mad dash to school and work in all its frenzied glory.

Don't Forget I Love You by Miriam Moss