In this charming father-son tale, Tad grows from tadpole to full-fledged frog but never outgrows his wish to be near his dad.
"As soon as I could wiggle," says Tad, "I swam everywhere with my dad." David Ezra Stein's (I Am My Own Dog) predominantly watercolor illustrations (with some marker and crayon in the mix) simulate the underwater life of a pond as Tad and Dad swim beneath its surface. In his daily refrain, Tad says, "Dad tried to tuck me in at night, but--SPLASH! I followed him to his bed." These consistently appear as a trio of vignette illustrations that also serve to chart Tad's growth. The "SPLASH!" gets bigger as Tad grows larger. In between, Stein varies the father-son activities: swimming, jumping and singing ("The pond was alive with the sound of music," says Tad in a nod to Julie Andrews's Maria). A final full-page "SPLOOSH!" when Dad tries to tuck him in at night marks Tad's maturity. Stein sympathizes with parents of young children, as Dad registers his sleep deprivation through wide-eyed frustration ("Why do you want to sleep in my bed?... Are you trying to drive me bananas?").
A surprise twist proves Tad's gut instinct about what Dad likes best was right all along. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness