With Dad

This story from the late Jackson (I See You See) begins as a red Jeep carrying two pale-skinned figures trundles over “a two-rut road along a stream called the upper South Branch of the Au Sable River.” In gently tinted pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache spreads, Caldecott Medalist Floca follows a son who sits on his father’s lap to steer the vehicle, then the two as they put up an olive-drab tent at a campsite, then go fishing. “An owl might come for those tonight,” says the father as he pitches trout innards into the scrub. Later, sleeping in the tent, the father wakes the son: “Listen, Tim. Was that our owl?” A full moon illuminates the campsite; there’s no owl, but the feeling of magic lingers. Closely observed writing brings sensations to life: “It was so amazing to see a wriggler wriggling on my own line and to hear Dad whooping with happiness.” In a coda, the boy is shown looking wistfully into the distance after reading an airmail letter from his father, now stationed overseas: “I want Dad home safe and soon and warm.” The child’s longing testifies to the wonder of his parent’s presence, which offers both excitement and security. Ages 4–8. (May)