cover image You Made Me a Dad

You Made Me a Dad

Laurenne Sala, illus. by Mike Malbrough. HarperCollins, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-06-239694-5

A father with heavy-framed glasses and a receding hairline declares, “I loved you before I saw you. When you were just a heartbeat” (he’s pictured with his ear on his partner’s pregnant belly). Once the baby arrives, he quickly learns about his new roles: “I realized right away that I had a new job. I would teach you to be kind. To listen to good music. To be yourself. To make you giggle A LOT.” His child, who resembles her dark-skinned, wavy-haired mother, teaches him, too: “Because of you, I know what monsters sound like and how to dance silly... and that my heart is bigger than anything on Earth. (And in outer space, too).” Malbrough’s watercolor and digital illustrations bring warmth, energy, and dimension to this celebration of fatherhood. Also available: You Made Me a Mother. Ages 4–8. (May)