Review by Booklist Review
This little brown-skinned girl doesn't like surprises. She prefers routine, made evident by her calendar, which is clearly marked with labels--Mom, Dad, ballet, and so on--as she travels back and forth between Mommy's house and the apartment Daddy shares with his partner, Harry. But wait! Why is Mommy picking her up after school on Tuesday? That's Daddy's day! Shouts, tantrums, and resistance follow as she pictures Daddy eaten by the Big Bad Wolf, kidnapped by pirates, or beamed up by a flying saucer. But Mommy explains that they're taking a taxi to Daddy's while he is off getting a special surprise. Not a fan of surprises, the girl sulks in her room--until Daddy arrives with a puppy, destined to be named Surprise. The last page provides special tips for caring for a new puppy. The cartoon artwork could have been drawn by this little narrator--every bright illustration is alive with energy and emotion. Children will be eager to guess what Daddy reveals.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Kreloff follows a long-haired, light brown--skinned child who alternates between the houses of their curly-haired Black mother and round-bodied white father. Daisy, a squiggly blue stuffed puppy, is the child's constant companion: "on Mondays and Wednesdays, I stay with Mommy. Daisy does too," and "on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Daisy and I stay with Daddy and Harry," Daddy's partner. In spite of the alternating schedule, each home has similarities: both parents make the child "noodles with butter and cheese," read one bedtime story aloud, and profess their love for the child. But when Mommy arrives at school pickup one Tuesday, citing a surprise in the works, the changed schedule results in an outburst. Kreloff's grease pencil drawings are rendered in a hand-drawn, childlike style, with fabric collage and soft digital splashes of color providing additional visual appeal. A sweet look at one child's experience with co-parenting guardians. Back matter includes tips for "when you get a new puppy." Ages 3--7. (May)
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Review by Horn Book Review
"I don't like surprises. I like everything to stay exactly the way it's supposed to be." A little girl spends Tuesdays and Thursdays with Daddy and his partner, Harry. When Mommy picks her up from school on Tuesday, she is NOT happy. Where is Daddy? Young listeners will empathize with the narrator's distress over an upset routine, and they'll be as pleasantly surprised as she is when Daddy finally comes home -- with a new puppy! The bright childlike illustrations reflect the narrator's (mostly) cheerful descriptions of the two loving households and their comforting rhythms and routines. The characters' diversity isn't the point (Mommy and the girl have brown skin; Daddy and Harry are pinkish) but is most welcome. "When you get a new puppy" tips are appended. (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Initially upset about a broken routine, a child gets a special surprise. A long-haired, brown-skinned child thinks they're "lucky" because having split parents means two rooms: a pink room at Daddy's and a blue room at Mommy's. As the endpapers' sticker-decorated calendar reveals, the child's schedule gets a little complicated as they shuffle back and forth among households and school. But wherever they go, they bring Daisy, their blue stuffed dog, with them. Whether with Mommy or with Daddy and his partner Harry, there's no shortage of fun (and a little yucky broccoli). One Tuesday, the child is supposed to be with Daddy but Mommy shows up at school instead. Mommy says "Daddy had something special to do today." That makes the child--and Daisy--mad. Where could Daddy be? And what is the special surprise? Using different solid-color backgrounds, Kreloff effectively compares and contrasts the child's routines at their two homes. The childlike cartoon drawings combine thick pencil lines with collage, making the human figures pop on the page. Taking place after a separation has already occurred, the story delightfully normalizes and affirms co-parenting. Still, the child's first-person narration and illustrations do tilt a bit in Daddy's favor. Both Mommy and Daddy have brown skin; Harry presents White. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 39.1% of actual size.) A welcome mirror for rainbow families. (new puppy instructions) (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
