Hammer and Nails by Josh Bledsoe, illustrated by Jessie Warrick

Darcy is devastated when her fancy play date with her best friend is cancelled. But then Daddy suggests they have a play day together, doing things from both of their lists. Darcy is skeptical, but Daddy asks her to give him a chance. They get dressed up together, mow the lawn in fancy designs, play with their hair, have a laundry battle, and then....Daddy asks Darcy to help fix the fence. She's a little worried, but he reminds her "Princess, sometimes things you've never done end up being fun. Try it." Darcy takes a chance and it turns out great! But then it's time for her challenge - manicures. Daddy is worried. Isn't nail polish a bit...permanent? But he's willing to try something too and soon they're both as fancy as can be.

I'm generally not a fan of digital artwork, but Flashlight Press is different - their illustrators do a really good job and they tend to publish books that are just a little different and fill niches in the collection.

Yes the story is somewhat didactic and it's rather text-heavy, but there are so few books featuring a single father and daughter that those minor quibbles are easily brushed aside. Kids will giggle through Daddy's silly antics and hopefully both kids and parents will feel more comfortable trying new things together. It's also the perfect book to hand to kids who want to see their family reflected in the books they read. It's a little long for a typical storytime, but could easily be shortened or used in one-on-one reading.

Verdict: A must for every library, unless you have a hitherto undiscovered wealth of titles on single fathers parenting daughters and trying new things together.

ISBN: 9781936261369; Published 2016 by Flashlight Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library