cover image It’s Great Being a Dad

It’s Great Being a Dad

Dan Bar-el, illus. by Gina Perry. Tundra, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-77049-605-7

“It’s great being a unicorn,” boasts a pink specimen with a rainbow horn. “Who wouldn’t want to be a unicorn?” Bigfoot and a robot make similar claims, but each creature runs into a snag (“What’s not to like about being a robot? Rain, that’s what!”), requiring intervention. After these beings and others are revealed to be a crew of kids playing in the yard, a resourceful father steps in to save the day. Perry’s wide-eyed, brightly colored fantasy creations wonderfully evoke a pretend-play world where anything can happen but plenty still goes awry, and Bar-el’s (Audrey [Cow]) deadpan narrative delivers laughs on every page. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator’s agent: Teresa Kietlinski, Bookmark Literary. (Apr.)