Dad's Day: Daddy Hug by Tim Warnes

Daddy spiky, (PORCUPINE)
Daddy fluffy,(OSTRICH)
Daddy dirty,
Daddy scruffy. (WARTHOG)

Across the animal kingdom, daddies come in all sorts, from the squeaky, chirping otter to the hiccuping, burping moose. English husband-and-wife team, Tim Warnes and Jane Chapman, who created the Mother's Day classic Mommy Mine, have collaborated on a picture book just for celebrating fathers, Daddy Hug. On this side of the big pond, Jane Chapman is the celebrated creator of all the lovable critters in Karma Wilson's Bear Snores On series, and in this lovely festival of fatherhood, she again puts her skill at portraying charming wild animals to work illustrating Warnes' bouncy rhyming text honoring the daddies of the wild.

Daddy buzz,
Daddy bumble. (BUMBLEBEE)
Daddy hungry,
Tummy rumble. (ORANGUTAN)

Ending with a happy hug between the many and varied daddies and their young, this little book offers much--opportunities to name different wild animals, from anacondas to walruses, and learn new adjectives, chances to rhyme words, and count the babies--and, oh, yes, a chance to give a hug back to daddies everywhere, all while enjoying the simple affection in the illustrations of young ones playing under their parents' proud protection.