Grizzly Dad

Harrison, Joanna. 2009. Grizzly Dad. Random House.

This one is one that had me at hello. Perhaps it was the art. Perhaps it was the playful story. I just know I loved it. Here's how it starts off, "Dad woke up in a grrrrizzly mood! All morning he grrroaned and grrrizzled...and grrrumped! And then he went back to bed. . . He was just like a bear with a sore head." Our narrator is a little boy, a cute little boy I might add, and when he wakes up his father, what he discovers is that his dad IS a bear. What's it like to have a great big bear of a father? Read and see for yourself in this playful tale.

I wouldn't question you if you had doubts about this one. After all, this premise could be disappointing if it was in another author's hands. But I enjoyed it. It was fun. It was playful. It worked. This little boy is just having the best time imagining his dad as a great big bear. And for me, it was charming to see imagination at work. What really, really convinced me on this one is the art. So trust me on this one and try it yourself.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers