Bertie: Just Like Daddy Book

Bertie and his daddy are back for another bouncy, lavishly illustrated read aloud story book perfect for fathers day.

Children's Literature

Bertie is a charming, anthropomorphic hippo who wants to do what his dad does: "Just like you." Amiable Daddy tells him he needs to be bigger to drink coffee or shave but thinks up imaginative ways for Bertie to share the experiences. He can have the foam on the top of the coffee or a shaving cream beard. In the supermarket Bertie can help push and fill the cart. He is too young for a credit card but he can hold on to the receipt. When Daddy cooks, Bertie can be the taster and can help set the table. After lunch and his nap, when Bertie plays with his train, Daddy asks to play too. Now it is Bertie's turn to say, "You're too grown up," while Daddy wants to be a kid: "Just like you." So Bertie agrees, as long as he can be the engineer. The innocence of the story is visualized in vignettes and simple, full-page scenes. Minimum details and settings are dominated by the actions drawn in thick black outlines. Bertie wears flowered shorts in a lively pattern repeated in varying colors throughout the book and even on the end pages and in frames. Warm humor permeates the delight generated by this psychologically savvy dad and his energetic son. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz