Love, Dad: Inspiring Notes from Fathers to Kids
This heartwarming book, apparently written line by line, with one of 20 fathers offering a line or two of advice to children everywhere. Each is expressed in terms of their hopes for each child, such as “I hope you love your life and treasure every season along the way.” The quirky and colorful illustration style makes the entire book fun and light-hearted, considering the relatively serious subject matter.

What’s Scarier Than Thunder?
Another father-of-the-year candidate is found in this humorous book about a little girl, who really ought to be asleep already, but who is scared by the thunder outside. When her father, than mother, come to help, they explain that there are far more fearful (and often rhyming) things in the world than thunder, like the polar bear named Rose with very cold toes, who tripped on her blanket, and got conked in the nose! The horror! Each silly creature’s predicament is sillier and sillier. The bemused (and increasingly sleepy) little girl, her histrionic parents, and all these rhyming creatures compete in are all illustrated wonderfully, competing with one another for space in these wonderfully dynamic illustrations. The kinetic and colorful illustrations, and the appropriately energetic text, makes this one of the most outstanding children’s books of the year.

Gertrude Gish on a Dish on a Fish
This is an extension of the Dr. Seuss Beginner Books series of engagingly creative children’s books. Here, there’s an element of madeline wrapped up into the mix, as Gertrude Ish stacks up all sorts of comically absurd objects into taller and taller stacks, usually with herself on top. After a calamitous fall, her stacking habits are banned. But when the mayor’s dear penguins are stuck up in a tall tree — with a two-page spread needing the reader to turn the book sideways — it just may be that Gertrude’s stacking skills are needed after all! This fun and funny book is a delight from start to finish and is a worthy successor to Seuss’ legacy, offering an appropriately witty blend of clever wordplay and silly imagery throughout.

Over in the Garden
If you and your kids know and enjoy the folksong, “Over in the Meadow” — the popular counting rhyme written in 1870 — then you’re sure to love this book as much as my family does. The clever rewrite features a group of cute kids who help out in a colorful garden. The outstanding fun and folksy, 2-D illustrations are a joy to behold.

The Cookie Vote (Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom Series)
Mr. Tiffin and his classroom are off on a fieldtrip to the state capitol to learn about how laws are made. They vote to decide on what sort of law they might propose — that there should be a state cookie — and all goes smoothly. Just kidding! What will the state cookie be? The warm story offers a gentle introduction into how democracy works fairly. It encourages readers (and legislators) that democracy works best when we remember that laws are for everyone, so everyone’s needs and perspectives should be represented fairly. The sweet illustrative style helps convey the heartwarming message which is so much needed in these interesting times we live in.

It Started with a P
On a completely different note, this book features a childish “king,” prone to terrible tantrums, whose silly fits feature absurd over-reactions, with little concern for either reason or his people’s rights. What a silly ruler! In this particular hissy fit, the young king decides that everything starting with the letter “P” needs to be exiled from his country. When they realize that “people” starts with the letter “P,” he forcibly ejects his people from the country, and the king soon finds himself ruling over nothing but his own isolated absurdity. Will he ever learn? One wonders. The colorful medieval illustrations are as much a hoot as the clever story. Each use of a word starting with the letter “P” is in bold text — and there are plentiful examples of protracted parlance throughout — which heightens the fun.