Squeeze the Day! Gator Dad by Brian Lies

COME ON-- LET'S GO!

LET'S SQUEEZE THE DAY.

This go-go dad is no gator procrastinator.

He rouses his three little gators early from their sleep, makes them perch-filled pancakes to power their day, and they're off to accomplish some errands.

Gator Dad packs his toothy trio into one of those kiddie-truck shopping carts and trundles through the aisles to fill the business end of the buggy with gator goodies.

Then they are free to roam the wilds of the park. On the run with Dad's youngest riding gator-back on his shoulders, they hit the see-saw and reach for the moon on the big swings. When Dad calls for a gator break, he's the only one who wants a rest. The three pull him up and the fun goes on.

I'LL BE YOUR RAFT IN A SEA OF GRASS,

A TREE FOR YOU TO CLIMB--

I MIGHT EVEN AGREE TO SOMETHING

THAT
MAYBE
WE SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE.

Dad takes his tykes on a tightrope-style walk, using a fallen tree as a bridge over the stream, with rather wet results.

But hey! They're gators. A little water won't hurt them. Leaving wet prints and drips behind on the city sidewalks, they head for home and more rowdy gator games. With the cushions from every chair in the house they construct the mother of all sofa forts, with its own canopy and cave nooks. And after a dress-up party and dance, they head for the suds in their own bathtub.

And as a fitting closing for a stellar day, a storm provides the fireworks display right outside their window.

I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO QUIET THE STORM,

BUT HERE IN MY ARMS YOU'LL BE SAFE AND WARM!

It's a day with Dad from which memories are made, ending, of course, in a bedtime story and one last squeeze, in Brian Lies' forthcoming new book, Gator Dad (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016), just in time for Fathers Day duty. Lies' brawny Dad knows how to seize the day, to squeeze every bit of fun out of a play day with his kids.

In a departure from the Rembrandt-like chiaroscuro of his A Bat Book series, (see reviews here) his palette in this new one is a bit swamp-tinged, dark greens, browns, and grays for his gator family, albeit under a sunny sky with summery cumulus clouds. But as he does in his earlier best-sellers, Lies peppers his pages with witty visual gags. His grocery cart contains "Goat-meal" and "Mice Cream," with a safety sign that reads KEEP TAILS IN AT ALL TIMES. The bathtub has bottles of Talon Ton-R and Scale Sheen on the side and S-W-A-M-P spelled out in colored magnetic alphabet letters on the tub. And when the scene shifts to the bedroom, sharp-eyed young readers will spot the familiar covers of favorite pictures books Lyle, Lyle Crocodile and Put Me In The Zoo scattered among the toys on the floor. There's everything here that Brian Lies' fans fancy--wit and whimsy, page design with a sense of movement, and a winsome story that warms even the cold-blooded heart.