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Druthers

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Druthers

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Overview

With warmth and humor, award-winning author-illustrator Matt Phelan follows a child as she leads her daddy on some rainy-day flights of fancy.

It’s raining and raining and raining, and Penelope is bored. “What would you do if you had your druthers?” asks her daddy. Well, if Penelope had her druthers, she’d go to the zoo. Or be a cowgirl. Or a pirate captain who sails to the island of dinosaurs, or flies away on a rocket to the moon. If Penelope had her druthers, she’d go off on amazing adventures — but then again, being stuck inside may not be so bad if your daddy is along for the ride!

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763659554
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/09/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD390L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Matt Phelan is the author-illustrator of the highly acclaimed and award-winning graphic novels The Storm in the Barn, Around the World, and Bluffton. He is also the illustrator of many books for young readers, including Always and I’ll Be There by Ann Stott and The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, which won the 2007 Newbery Medal. He lives in Philadelphia.

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

06/09/2014
It’s raining, it’s pouring, and Penelope finds it all really boring. Does Penelope’s father march her over to the TV and put on Frozen? No siree. He teaches her the intriguing titular concept (“Druthers are what you would rather do if you could do anything at all”) and embarks with her on several pretend-play scenarios. When Penelope says she’d rather visit the zoo, Dad gamely imitates a gorilla. But Penelope has something more elaborate in mind—her vision of sailing a pirate ship to the “island of dinosaurs” morphs into a trip to the moon for a dance party. Phelan (Bluffton) alternates between fantasy scenes of the two wrangling cattle and outrunning dinosaurs and images of a living room in increasing disarray (many families will identify with the closing scene, in which just about every toy Penelope owns has been hauled out to support the cause). As Penelope’s father proves himself more than worthy of a “Best Dad Ever” mug, the energetic and warmly funny watercolors convey a father-daughter relationship that clearly means a lot to both parties. Ages 2–5. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

How much fun can be packed into a rainy day? Lots, if you’re like this energetic daughter-daddy duo. ... Phelan’s gentle ink-and-watercolor illustrations are filled with rollicking activity, and the soft colors and outlines evoke the close, loving relationship. ... [A] warm and fuzzy look at how much fun kids can have with game, fully supportive parents in their corners, and young listeners may pick up some new ideas for their own rainy days. ... Keep this for any day, not just a rainy one.
—Kirkus Reviews

The story of a dad and daughter’s day of play is fond and indulgent, with illustrations adding touches of clear-eyed realism in the house’s growing chaos and Dad’s increasing tiredness. Phelan’s ink and watercolor art evinces its familiar brushy informal textures, with the mood transforming effectively from spare gray spreads of gloomy Penelope to scenes of sweep and motion and ever-denser toy population, while the window behind the action documents the slashing rain. The compact square trim size adds to the cozy feel, making this a cuddly choice for sharing with a shut-in youngster on a bleak day—as long as you’re geared up for the imaginative romp it will inspire.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Phelan alternates between fantasy scenes of the two wrangling cattle and outrunning dinosaurs and images of a living room in increasing disarray (many families will identify with the closing scene, in which just about every toy Penelope owns has been hauled out to support the cause). As Penelope’s father proves himself more than worthy of a “Best Dad Ever” mug, the energetic and warmly funny watercolors convey a father-daughter relationship that clearly means a lot to both parties.
—Publishers Weekly

This is a simple story with an underlying theme of parental love. The layout is clean and uncluttered, with only one or two sentences per spread. The book is suitable for bedtime, one-on-one sharing, or storytimes. The illustrations are realistic in nature and are rendered in ink and watercolor. With its theme of daddies and daughters interacting playfully and positively, this book will be suitable for inclusion in any picture book collection.
—School Library Journal

It is pouring outside, and Penelope is bored. Her daddy asks Penelope what she would do if she had her druthers (he supplies a wonderful definition), unleashing a storm of creative play. ... Readers may hope for rain, too, and the chance to act this book out.
—Booklist

From the Publisher

08/01/2014
PreS-Gr 2—"'I'm bored,'" Penelope declares to her father. It has been raining and raining and raining. So Daddy asks what she'd do if she had her druthers. After he briefly explains what "druthers" means, Penelope lets her imagination sail. When she suggests going to the zoo, her father becomes a gorilla on the staircase; when she decides to be a cowgirl, they rustle up and wrangle some stuffed animals; and when she's a pirate captain, they sail off to the island of dinosaurs, and to the moon "for the biggest party ever." After spending so much play time with Daddy, Penelope decides that it might be nice if it rained the next day, too. This is a simple story with an underlying theme of parental love. The layout is clean and uncluttered, with only one or two sentences per spread. The book is suitable for bedtime, one-on-one sharing, or storytimes. The illustrations are realistic in nature and are rendered in ink and watercolor. With its theme of daddies and daughters interacting playfully and positively, this book will be suitable for inclusion in any picture book collection.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

2014-05-28
How much fun can be packed into a rainy day? Lots, if you’re like this energetic daughter-daddy duo.Penelope is extremely bored on a day when it just won’t stop raining. When her daddy asks her her “druthers” and defines the expression—a lucky happenstance for her and young readers who’ll likely delight in trotting out this new word henceforth—Penelope offers up various possibilities: going to the zoo, being a cowgirl, helming a pirate ship sailing “to the island of dinosaurs” and flying to the moon. What an agenda—and what an imaginative, playful pair this child and her father are. Making the most of her vast array of toys and increasingly elaborate ideas and his seemingly never-ending supply of patience and creativity, don’t you know that dad leaps on every suggestion, and the two are off having a grand time—sound effects, props and all. Phelan’s gentle ink-and-watercolor illustrations are filled with rollicking activity, and the soft colors and outlines evoke the close, loving relationship. The book’s concept doesn’t break new ground, but this is a warm and fuzzy look at how much fun kids can have with game, fully supportive parents in their corners, and young listeners may pick up some new ideas for their own rainy days. Noticing all the potential for fun, they’ll probably agree with Penelope that if they really had their druthers… “it would rain tomorrow, too.”Keep this for any day, not just a rainy one. (Picture book. 2 -5)

Kirkus Reviews

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