My Father - Hardcover

American folk singer Judy Collins's work as a lyricist is not well known, but it's as affecting as her performances of "Suzanne" and "Chelsea Morning" (for which first daughter Chelsea Clinton is said to be named). "My Father" has a special place in the hearts of those who've been lucky enough to share dreams with their own dads. A simple remembrance of an Ohio miner and his promise to take his girls to Paris, the song is now a book, and its lyrics (and score) are available to a new generation. The lyrics are accompanied here by Jane Dyer's evocative illustrations, to which children will respond immediately. Adults may even find themselves longing for their childhood days. (The publisher suggests the book for children ages 4-8, but anybody who ever loved a dad, and any dad who ever loved his children, will be moved and pleased by this book.)

K Up-- Bright pastel hues enliven a folk artist's lyrics now set to a quieter music--the harmony of word and picture in picture-book format. The song is told by the youngest daughter of a coal miner, who promises his family that they will someday live in France and describes all of the lovely, fanciful things they will do there. Their real life in Ohio contrasts sharply in dress and activity with this Parisian fantasy. One day the young girl's dream comes true--she lives in Paris with her children and shares the story of her father's life with them. Abridged music notation is printed at the opening, but the lyrics are complete in the book. The impressionistic watercolors are often reminiscent of Monet's paintings. One echoes Degas' ballerinas in "The Rehearsal." The contrasts of reality and the dreams behind it are eloquently interwoven along with the lyrics. One painting, in particular, captures the juxtaposition of the two worlds perfectly: the sisters are sailing paper boats laden with flowers in a small stream just below a hill where a coal plant sits as their miner-father comes home in the background. The illustrations combine with the romantic nostalgia of the song to create a loving momento to a distant dream of a father and his family. Adult readers do not need to know the song to appreciate the sentiment here, while young listeners, although not comprehending all, will be attracted to the gentle, rhyming, poetic language and colorful, warm illustrations. --Marianne Pilla, Upper Dublin Public Library, Dresher, PA
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