Cool Daddy Rat

Cool Daddy Rat goes out every night to play jazz in New York City, leaving his son Ace behind with Mama Rat.  But on this special night, Ace stows away in Daddy Rat’s bass case, and spends a night out in the city with his dad.  This book rings with the rhythms of jazz, both in the scat that is interspersed with the text and in the wild energy of the drawings.

Big city kids – New Yorkers or otherwise – will recognize the settings, and the book is a good conversation starter for talking about any dad’s work (even if he’s an accountant and not a cool jazz musician!)

Excerpt:

Cool Daddy Rat
shooby dooby doo dat
grabbed his hat in his rat flat
zowie zowie zoo zat
and said good-bye to his spry guy.

Read other reviews:

• Provo City Library Childrens Book Review
• Literate Lives