cover image Daddy Makes the Best Spaghetti

Daddy Makes the Best Spaghetti

Anna Grossnickle Hines. Clarion Books, $15 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-89919-388-5

Daddy picks Corey up from the daycare center, takes him grocery shopping and then home to cook a delicious spaghetti dinner. After dinner, Corey helps Mommy wash the dishes while Daddy turns into . . . Bathman! . . . and carries Corey off for a fun-filled bath. There's a time for a story and kisses all around before Corey hits the sheets. Simple, realistic pictures illustrate this warm celebration of family life. Hines clearly realizes the value to preschool readers of ordinary, everyday events: Corey's daily routine is comfortingly familiar. The author also knows the specialness of a playful daddy who is willing to be silly with his child. This light-hearted, happy book is of special appeal to children in Corey's situation, whose parents both work. (3-6)