Druthers

PreS-Gr 2—"'I'm bored,'" Penelope declares to her father. It has been raining and raining and raining. So Daddy asks what she'd do if she had her druthers. After he briefly explains what "druthers" means, Penelope lets her imagination sail. When she suggests going to the zoo, her father becomes a gorilla on the staircase; when she decides to be a cowgirl, they rustle up and wrangle some stuffed animals; and when she's a pirate captain, they sail off to the island of dinosaurs, and to the moon "for the biggest party ever." After spending so much play time with Daddy, Penelope decides that it might be nice if it rained the next day, too. This is a simple story with an underlying theme of parental love. The layout is clean and uncluttered, with only one or two sentences per spread. The book is suitable for bedtime, one-on-one sharing, or storytimes. The illustrations are realistic in nature and are rendered in ink and watercolor. With its theme of daddies and daughters interacting playfully and positively, this book will be suitable for inclusion in any picture book collection.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA