My Daddy Rules the World: Poems About Dads

In a lovely follow-up to Mother Poems, Smith uses 16 poems to celebrate precious, small, and meaningful moments between fathers and their children. Understated torn-paper collages present an array of families with featureless faces and a spectrum of skin tones: a newbie bike rider recognizes that her father supports her, even as he lets go: “And then I’m free, the wind is blowing,/ my dad let go, but I’m still going!” One boy’s busy father shows up for a twilight game of catch, another introduces his son to a favorite book: “Dad and I are readers./ We are word men, through and through.” Tender and honest, these poems pack a big emotional punch. Ages 4–8. (May)