Dad's Bookshelf: February 2024
This month on Dad’s Bookshelf we have some very beautiful and very thoughtful picture books that I think you’ll enjoy very much. We also have what I believe to be the first appearance of a board book in Dad’s Bookshelf history. It goes without saying that this speaks very highly of this board book - and how much it tickled our funny bone.
One of the books on this month’s list is a picture book that releases on March 5th from one of our favorite publishers - and it’s written by our friend Victor D. O. Santos. I’m excited about this book - not just because it’s a beautiful and wonderful picture book, but because it also seems to be solid proof that Victor is really an author to keep your eyes on!
I think the books we have on display this month are an interesting combination of sincerity and whimsy, and I suppose that’s a pretty good description of my taste in kids books. It just depends on the day if I’m looking for more quirkiness or more thoughtfulness, but luckily we have a bit of both for you this time around.
I hope you enjoy discovering the kids books we’re loving recently, and I’d love for you to let me know what children’s books you’ve been enjoying in your house recently.
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 brand new releases, it’s also not uncommon for us to be excited about an older book we just discovered or rediscovered.
Disclosure: Some of the books on this list were shared with us by their creators. All thoughts and opinions are our own. Links in this article are affiliate links that will lead you to view the books on Bookshop.org and Amazon.
What Makes Us Human
Written by Victor D. O. Santos and Illustrated by Anna Forlati
What Makes Us Human is a beautiful book written kind of like a riddle. Victor didn’t spoil the ending for me, so I suppose it’s best form not to spoil the ending for you either. You’ll have to read the book to find out what makes us human!
Suffice it to say that this is a beautiful book from top to bottom. Anna Forlati, who also illustrated Santos’ My Dad, My Rock, was the perfect choice for this aesthetic of kind of a dreamy exploration of mankind.
Children will enjoy the riddle structure, and will most certainly enjoy trying to guess the ending the first time you read it together. And what I really like about this book is that it’s really a book for book lovers. It’s full of thoughtfulness and empathy - like a bird’s eye view of what makes our lives special and how to unlock more understanding and enjoyment.
Let’s Find Yaya & Boo at Home!
Written and Illustrated by Andrew Knapp
Let’s Find Yaya & Boo at Home! gets the honor of being the first board book on Dad’s Bookshelf. And luckily it’s a part of a running series - so if you love it you can find Yaya and Boo (and Momo!) many more times.
To be 100% honest, the first time I saw a cover of this series I just didn’t get it. I didn’t realize the potential. I didn’t know what differentiated it from other colorful board books for little ones that are a dime a dozen. But now I see the light. This is pure genius.
The book features real photography of the dogs Yaya and Boo hiding the best they can. The genius is not just in the concept, but in the execution. Yaya and Boo hide in some truly silly locations. I think my personal favorite is on top of the kitchen cabinets! This is basically the perfect introduction to seek and finds. I can’t imagine a much better option for little dog lovers, or a much better quick activity for you and your little one. Even my 7-year-old liked looking through this wonderful book with me. What a fantastic creation.
Where Can We Go?: A Tale of Four Bears
Written by Dai Yun and Illustrated by Igor Oleynikov
If this month has a mix of whimsy and sincerity, this book is decidedly in both camps. If you are so inclined, you can certainly interpret this picture book through the lens of serious topics such as global warming and refugees.
But - and I personally consider this quite important for children’s literature - you can also read and enjoy the entire thing without the need to go very deep into those conversations at all. This could also serve as a quirky fish-out-of-water/goldilocks kind of story, and kids will be the none the wiser. It’s also a very beautifully illustrated book, and that never hurts the enjoyment around here.
The bear family in this story needs a new home because food is getting scarce - so they wander into a human city. There’s subtle and dry humor in this book that kids will definitely pick up on. It’s hard for the bears to make friends because the “neighbors are weird” - but of course the humans are just running terrified because there are polar bears going into houses looking for food.
At the end of the day, despite opening the door to some optional thoughtful conversations, I’d say this book is ultimately much sillier than it is serious. Honestly one of my favorite parts is just the wonderful illustrations of these bears playing in the city - like the little cub on the playground. It also thankfully has a happy ending with an ideal location for the family’s new home.
What books are you loving this month? Let us know in the comments!
