Description:
"Once upon a time there was a father who had 10 children." It seems simple enough as a picture-book premise, in "an old woman who lived in a shoe" sort of way. "Every morning he woke up very early and cooked 10 breakfasts. He helped his 10 children put on 10 little pairs of underpants, 10 little T-shirts, 10 little pairs of jeans, 20 little socks, and 20 little shoes." We follow Dad and his brood through a whole day of before-work and after-work activities--including a bath, dinner, pillow-fluffing, and goodnight kisses. But what's this? Every night, after his children are asleep, he stays up late building a beautiful boat. When it is ready, he leaves the 10 kids with their grandmother and sets off "all by himself to sail around the world for 10 days, or maybe even 10 months!" At this point in the story, all adults will be breathing a sigh of understanding for the uncomplaining, overworked pop. Kids will be saying, "Hey! Where's he going?" But parents and children alike will love what happens next. The first morning that he wakes up on the boat, he mindlessly starts making breakfast, with "10 little cups... 10 little... But something was missing! He sailed right back to the shore. 'Ahoy, mateys,' he called. 'Breakfast is ready!'"The kids all climb aboard and together they set off to sail around the world. Bénédicte Guettier's illustrations are bold, colorful, comical, simple, chunky, and anything but sentimental. Dad is smiling and scruffy, and the 10 googly eyed, round-headed youngsters resemble a benign cluster of grapes. First published in Belgium in 1997 as Le Papa Qui Avait 10 Enfants, this wonderfully satisfying bedtime story should find a warm welcome on American shores. (Ages 2 to 5) --Karin Snelson
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