Dad's Bookshelf: April 2021
Happy Easter, folks! The great bunny day has finally arrived. And while I don’t have any new rabbit-themed books in store for you, I do think we have a few special stories on Dad’s Bookshelf this month.
We’re kind of all over the place with themes this time around. We have a picture book biography, a funny graphic novel, and gorgeous celebration of empathy and imagination. If you think that sounds like exactly the kinds of books we’d get excited about, well, you’ve been paying great attention! These are our kinds of books!
The three books we are highlighting this month are Banksy Graffitied Walls and Wasn’t Sorry, Julius and Macy: A Very Brave Night, and Simon and Chester: Super Detectives!. If you’re unfamiliar with the format of Dad’s Bookshelf, I chose these books to write about simply because we love them and we’re excited about them. They captured the hearts of both Dad and the kiddos, and, quite simply, they’re the books we want to talk about.
This particular group of books also gives you a quick glimpse of the variety of books we’re into at the moment. Our 8-year-old son is addicted to graphic novels, and it’s hard to keep up with his voracious appetite for them. We’ve also always had a soft spot for beautiful picture books about imagination and empathy. And, relatively recently, we’ve been reading a lot more biographies that ever before - and I’m tickled that I always learn just as much as the kids.
I hope you discover a new story that might capture the hearts of your family or classroom today. Enjoy the closer look at these great books - and Happy Easter!
Dad’s Bookshelf is a continuing, monthly series featuring the kids books we are most excited about each month. The series is named after the real life bookshelf we have in our home, where I keep all of my favorite picture books of all time. While the books we share on Dad’s Bookshelf are often new releases, it’s also not uncommon for us to be excited about an older book we just discovered.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links that will lead you to view the books’ listings on Amazon or Bookshop.org. Julius and Macy and Banksy were shared with us by the publishers.
Simon and Chester: Super Detectives!
Written and Illustrated by Cale Atkinson
We are huge Simon and Chester fans in this house. Cale Atkinson’s picture book, Sir Simon: Super Scarer, even landed at number two on our list of our favorite picture books of 2018. Now they are in their graphic novel debut, and, like the picture book before it, Super Detectives! features some great references to classic scary stories. Sharp-eyed readers can even spot the little girl with the ribbon around her neck - whose head falls off in the classic story The Green Ribbon.
But this isn’t a scary story at all. It’s a goofy buddy comedy - and it’s hilarious. I just love these characters and of course my son ate it up very quickly. The comedic timing and the facial expressions are top notch and it’s easy to fall in love with these characters. The good news is that the 2nd book in this series is already schedule for September, and we all sincerely hope there are many more to come!
Make sure to check out our interview with Cale Atkinson where we chat a lot about Sir Simon: Super Scarer.
Julius and Macy: A Very Brave Night
Written and Illustrated by Annelouise Mahoney
Julius and Macy is a debut picture book from Annelouise Mahoney - whose credits include DreamWorks, Marvel, and Image Comics. I just love seeing amazing artists take the plunge into picture books - especially when they knock it out of the park like this. The whole story gives off huge playing in the woods as kids and using your imagination vibes - and that’s a state of mind I like to visit a lot.
I also adore the fact that a few of the pages in this book are legitimately spooky. When Julius and Macy go off searching for the Night Goblin, and find his dark and creepy cave, the book finds that perfect level of scary that I love to share with kids. And of course I deeply appreciate the empathy you’re going to find on display in this book too. The watercolor illustrations of the forest and the cave are gorgeous, and this is truly a fantastic debut.
Banksy Graffitied Walls and Wasn’t Sorry
Written and Illustrated by Fausto Gilberti
Banksy Graffitied Walls and Wasn’t Sorry is actually a part of a series of picture books about famous artists by Fausto Gilberti - all of which feature the tagline “Wasn’t Sorry”. The book is told in the first person from Banksy’s point of view, and it features a lot of his or her most famous artwork and stunts. Some of them truly are laugh-out-loud funny, and it’s a lot of fun to share with the kids. My personal favorite moment is when Banksy hid a shredder inside a painting and it self-destructed after someone bought it for $1.4 million. Or maybe when he or she set up a stall and sold paintings for only $60 each - and only sold 8 because people thought they were fake.
Banksy Graffitied Walls and Wasn’t Sorry actually releases this week on April 7th. So keep an eye out at your local bookstore or get those pre-orders in. This book is very well put together and a delightful biography for both kids and adults. It’s a spectacular introduction to Banksy, and truly just for appreciation of art in general.
As always, you can find all of these books on our Amazon or Bookshop.org shops. Have you read any of these great books yet? What kids books have you been reading recently? Let us know in the comments!
