I Love Dad

This dad-focused companion to 2014’s I Love Mom follows two dinosaurs through a day, with the child praising its father’s accomplishments and talents. From shows of affection (“Nobody’s kisses are so bristly./ Nobody’s stubble so/ double-itchy”) to bike repair (“No one was ever such a fixer-upper”) and just playing around, there’s no competition as far as this young dino is concerned. But while Abbot coaxes substantial emotional tenderness out of the relationship in her loose, mixed-media illustrations, the syntax of Walsh’s semi-rhymed text can be convoluted (“Dad on wheels!/ Dad in the saddle/ cycles faster than a bike will pedal”), making for some herky-jerky reading. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)