The team behind Just You and Me portrays a loving father-son relationship in this tale of a cub who gets to return the tender care his father has shown him.
Little Hansie Bear pretends to walk like his friends the ducks and falls headlong into "a deep-down ditch." Luckily, his dad comes along to help and expresses his sympathy: "[T]hat's not easy... unless you're a duck," says Dad. Two more challenges arise (sand in Hansie Bear's eyes and a bonk on the head from a tree branch), also bringing Dad to the rescue; each time, the cub bounces back. Sam McBratney's (Guess How Much I Love You) playful language lets youngest children know that the cub is never seriously hurt ("Do blinkety-blink like this, and you'll soon be better," says Dad when Hansie gets sand in his eyes), and Ivan Bates's (Farmer Dale's Red Pickup Truck) depictions of a warm family, with fur that looks soft enough to touch, contrast nicely with the autumn backdrop.
Best of all, when Hansie's friends have all gone home, and his father comes very slowly through the gate due to a thorn in his foot, Hansie (with a little help from Mom) knows just what to do. Like Dan Yaccarino's Every Friday, this picture book honors the special bond between father and son. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness