Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
June and his older brother return home from school and see a big pair of shoes by the door--their father is back for a rare visit. Jung's digitally rendered pictures, with soft, glowing earth tones and pencil textures, show a house that brightens considerably with the father's presence: June's "mother is happier, and the food smells more delicious." The family slips into familiar rhythms, and before Father must leave again, they plant a tangerine tree (June's favorite fruit): "Next time I am here, this tree will be bigger, and so will you." Readers will immediately notice that Father is no ordinary parent: he has the head and wings of a goose, and the afterword explains that this story and depiction is inspired by the Korean phrase "goose dad," which describes "fathers who work and live apart from their families, flying back to Korea for long periods of time" to support their children's educations. But debut creator Jung's deeply affecting storytelling, with its seamless blending of fairy tale elements, melancholy, patience, and hope, should open up the story for a wide range of readers. Ages 4--8. (Nov.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young Korean boy's feeling of longing is captured in this story of a father who works far away from his family. "Will Father come home tomorrow?" asks June, a young Korean boy, of his mother. Curiously, a photo of the father dreamily transforms in the accompanying illustration into the shape of a goose flying across the sky. The next day, June and his older brother, Hyun, return from school, rushing into the arms of a goose dressed in a shirt and tie. Scenes of a happy family quickly pass by, with the affectionate father consistently depicted as an anthropomorphic goose. Soon enough, there is "a goodbye that happens often," as June embraces his father before he flies away again. The author's note reveals the Korean phrase, gireogi appa, which literally means goose dad. (Literal-minded readers befuddled by the goose symbolism might wish this information had appeared in an introduction.) Jung describes a lifestyle in which fathers work and live apart from their families to provide for their children's education. The sacrifice, however noble, has consequences. Debut author/illustrator Jung captures the tender emotions through images in a warm color palette of peaches and browns. The writing, however, lacks cohesion, with limited flow between the pages. Still, the pain of missing a parent, which this book captures, is one many children will recognize. Striking illustrations carry the load in this heartfelt story of parental absence. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.