  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 12/01/2016 Newbery Honor Book author Choldenko and Caldecott Medal–winning artist Santat collaborate here to celebrate dads’ contributions to parenting. Young Nicholas has many fears: the dark, bushes filled with giant bugs, and the undersides of manhole covers. To keep his fears at bay, he carries a small toy dinosaur with him, usually hidden somewhere in his clothing. When the toy disappears during a soccer game, Nicholas’ worries return. Luckily Dad (Big Nick) comprehends the situation and immediately takes his son back to the darkened field to search for the talisman. Choldenko excels in creating believable characters whose empathy and emotional quotients match their other successes. Santat’s mixed-media illustrations feature many nighttime scenes rendered in blues, dark greens, and black. Line drawings depicting Nicholas’ imagination, mostly concerning the dinosaur, are also successfully integrated into the full-color art. This works as a story about bravery, as well as a paean to dads. Pair with Mo Willems’ Knuffle Bunny Too (2007), which features another understanding father.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Popular and acclaimed in their own rights, Choldenko and Santat’s joint endeavor is guaranteed to draw a crowd. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. School Library Journal - 01/01/2017 PreS-Gr 2—Nick is afraid of many things: giant bugs, the dark, manhole covers, and what lies beneath them. He longs to be brave like his dad. "His dad was not afraid of anything." Fortunately, Nick has a plastic dinosaur talisman that makes him fearless. When the dinosaur is safely in his pocket or tucked inside his soccer socks, Nick scales rock walls and scores amazing goals. Once the dinosaur is lost, however, Nick is filled with uncertainty and dread: "The night was as black as octopus ink, giant bugs were everywhere." After Nick confesses to his father that the dinosaur is the brave one, not him, he and Dad head out to search one more time. The toy is recovered, and Nick is relieved, especially after being reassured by his dad that "it's okay to be afraid. All guys are now and then." The mixed-media artwork by Caldecott winner Santat is sumptuous and full bleed. The nighttime scenes are particularly evocative, with Nick's imagined fears lurking around the edges. Slyly humorous as well as spooky, they keep the mood from getting too scary. This is a modern story reminiscent of Dumbo and his "magic" feather that readers will enjoy as they explore the ideas of bravery, ability, and what lies inside each of us. VERDICT A winning book sure to attract and delight a wide audience.—Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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