ANNOTATION

Although her father is busy working as an artist at home, he still finds time to spend with his daughter.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Childlike narration and diffused, impressionistic watercolors seamlessly stitch together a heartwarming celebration of family love. As in Fred Marcellino's Puss in Boots, the main characters appear in an arresting joint portrait on the front cover of the book, with the title and credits relegated to the back. The text, like a quiet voice-over in a film, begins before the title page: ``My daddy's a painter,'' says the narrator. Father and daughter meet mostly at mealtimes-reading the comics, cooking, doing magic tricks-while the mother looks on and comments. ``We're very good dancers,'' the girl announces as the father strikes a flamboyant pose, gripping a rose in his teeth. "`Silly,' says Mommy. `Funny,' says me.'' Because she patiently gives her father time to work, the girl is rewarded after dinner with admittance to his studio, where she paints a cheerful family portrait that is reproduced at the end of the story. In realistically acknowledging that children frequently desire more attention than their parents can give them, Catalanotto adds credibility to the uplifting resolution. His book subtly attests to the joy inherent in the creation of both life and art. Ages 4-7. (Sept.)

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

A warm, inviting story of an artist and his family, and in particular, his relationship with his daughter. They spend a lot of time together because his studio is in their home. After spending a whole day without him, she is allowed into his studio, and they both paint pictures with her "work of art" displayed on the final spread. Creative and original, the book is filled with bright cheery, family focused watercolors by an outstanding artist.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2This joyous celebration of creativity and connection combines luminous watercolors with a succinct, convincing first-person narrative to capture the love between parent and child and the pleasure of self-expression. Catalanotto's light-filled paintings create a sunny world inhabited by a bearded artist-father, a loving mother, their exuberant daughter, and a most engaging German Shepherd. The child's description of her relationship with her father begins even before the title page and reveals their enjoyment of one another whether they are cooking breakfast, reading the comics, or dancing. Sometimes, of course, he is too busy working to spend time with her. The story ends on a high note, however, for after a long day without his company, she is permitted to join him in his studio and try her hand at painting, too. The gloriously childlike result is displayed on the final pages, with the girl's cheerfully self-confident assertion: ``I'm a painter now.'' The book's originality is immediately apparent in the unusual cover and in the multilayered levels of reality in the illustrations. The pictures expand the brief text, injecting it with humor and adding depth of meaning. This delightful work of art deserves a place in every collection.Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh