In their first children’s book, Logelin and Jensen reveal that while human dads can be “grouchy, bossy, or just totally gross,” it could be worse: an owl father “would keep you up aaaaaaaaaall night,” and a snake dad “would shed his skin in front of your friends.” In vivid digital cartoons, Chapman (Steve, Raised by Wolves) pictures two siblings suffering through each less-than-wonderful parent, from a monkey serving up a meal of bugs to a dino dad who’s “nothing but bones.” Irreverent closing notes offer extra details about the 16 animals. Light, jokey fun—dung beetles are always good for a laugh, right? – Publisher’s Weekly

Annoyed at their father’s behavior, a brother and sister research other creatures for alternatives to their “grouchy, bossy or just totally gross” dad in this playful take on putting up with parents. Through their explorations, the two find that their dad is way better than an octopus dad (“He would always win at tag”), a dung-beetle dad (“He would pile poop in your room”), or a whale dad (“You couldn’t take him ANYWHERE”). Digitally produced illustrations, as humorous as the text, effectively show the different madcap scenarios conjured by the children. The facial expressions and body language of the siblings clearly show their opinions on each dad option. An owl dad would exhaust them (“He would keep you up AAAAAAAAAALL night,” the sister frowns), while a bee dad would anger them (“He would always be BUZZZZZZZING,” they both scowl). A few funnily informative facts about each creature are included. Vivid colors, appealing creatures, and engaging text with a warmhearted outcome make this dad-centered story a delight. – Booklist

Usually children are happy with their dads, except for “when he is grouchy, bossy or totally gross.” Two children imagine their father as different animals, all with bad results. If your dad were a dog, he would lick your face. If he were a tortoise, everything would take way too long. A monkey dad would feed you insects. If he were a unicorn, no one would believe in him. Iguanas, skunks, dung beetles, and whales would all make terrible fathers for human children. The list of alternative father animals goes on, with similarly unappealing outcomes. The moral is that though kids may sometimes wish their dads were different, they should be happy with the parents they have. The book concludes with fun animal facts for each featured creature. The silly cartoon illustrations were digitally created using Photoshop. VERDICT This playful celebration of dads is perfect for storytime or one-on-one reading. – School Library Journal