Things to Do with Dad

After a gleeful pancake breakfast, a boy and his father gaze despondently at a to-do list tacked to the refrigerator. The boy keeps his father company as he does dishes and builds a bookcase, but things kick into high gear when the boy augments the items on the list: making the beds turns into “sail[ing] a pirate ship” (the billowing sheets evoke sails) and instead of watering the garden, they “explore the jungle.” The book’s only text is the words on the list, but Zuppardi’s (Jack’s Worry) joyful, mixed-media art speaks volumes about how ordinary activities—yes, even chores—can be made special with a little imagination. Ages 4–8. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary. (Apr.)