Every Friday
Written and Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
ages 3-7
"Friday is my favorite day" this book begins, as the son takes you through the ins and outs of his Friday father-son ritual. Be it rain or shine, the pair leave the house, walk through the city past their favorite sites (the toy store for son, sporting goods for dad), count the dogs, and give the regulars a friendly wave. They reach the end of their journey at the diner where Rosa the waitress knows their usual order (pancakes!) and the guys talk about "all sorts of things."
This was a lovely book. The story was so sincere and clearly written, tracing a path through the big city (a place my kids just don't visit often enough!). The cover art looks a bit serious, but Yaccarino's unique illustration style carries the whimsical tone of the story through the book (I love some of the little details like the beatnik and his bongo or the construction worker napping in the window of a building under construction. The pages are uncluttered with not-too-many words per page, leaving a lot for children to add with their own imagination. I will love to read this book over and over.
The topic of the book gave us a nice opportunity to talk about the special things each kid like to do with their folks (after noticing on the first pages that mom and baby are left at home), and talk about what traditions mean to our family and to them. We talked about things that I used to value doing with my mom and dad and how I like to share those with each of them. All in all, really a perfect book. The fact that the protagonists were father and son didn't seem to matter to Josie (5) who put herself right into the book.
Mommy: five stars
Josie (5): I really like this book. I really like going out for breakfast...I wonder if he got whipped cream on his pancakes?
Jasper (2.5): There be a cement mixer and big dump truck! And pancakes! Me love pancakes. (It really held his attention through multiple readings.)
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