Dad Bakes

by Katie Yamasaki

Overview

A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2021

A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2021

An Amazon Best Children's Book of 2021

A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021

Dad wakes early every morning before the sun, heading off to work at the bakery. He kneads, rolls, and bakes, and as the sun rises and the world starts its day, Dad heads home to his young daughter. Together they play, read, garden, and—most importantly—they bake.

This lovely, resonant picture book was inspired by muralist Katie Yamasaki’s work with formerly incarcerated people. With subtle, uncluttered storytelling amplified by her monumental and heartfelt paintings, she has created a powerful story of love, of family, and of reclaiming a life with joy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324082279
Publisher:	Norton Young Readers
Publication date:	03/11/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Katie Yamasaki works primarily as a muralist and picture book creator. She has painted more than eighty murals around the world, and her most recent book is Place Hand Here. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Editorial Reviews

"The story's text is short and poetic, further directing readers' focus to the book's glorious art. Yamasaki's paintings create a dreamlike atmosphere throughout."

Horn Book Magazine

"A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2021"

"A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2021"

"An Amazon Best Children's Book of 2021"

"A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021"

From the Publisher

★ 07/19/2021

Inspired by families affected by incarceration, muralist Yamasaki (Everything Naomi Loved) follows a bald, tattooed, apparently East Asian father and his child in this deceptively simple picture book. “Dad wakes,” the volume opens; he stretches as a clock reads 3 a.m., a golden ribbon with a protracted “yawn” stretching from his mouth. Heading out through empty city streets (“The moon shines./ Dad walks”), he arrives at Rise Up! Bakery, where he joins tattooed Black and brown-skinned employees in baking bread. Author-illustrator Yamasaki offers spare, cadenced prose: “He scoops./ He kneads./ He rolls.// Dough rises./ Dad makes small rolls,/ Dad makes large loaves.” At daybreak, Dad returns home; after resting, he and his child make their own dough, waiting for it to rise as they spend time together in paneled vignettes—gardening, reading, playing soccer—before Dad gives his child a warm surprise. Richly saturated, dynamic paintings showcase expressive, inclusive community, and intricately detailed spreads offer plenty to pore over in this meditative tale centering the significance of daily rhythms as well as familial and community love. Back matter includes an affecting author’s note, including links to organizations that support formerly incarcerated people and their families. Ages 6–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Tender and heartwarming."

Booklist

★ 11/01/2021

Gr 2–4—The plot of this thoughtful book is summed up by its brilliantly succinct title, but there is much more beneath the surface! Dad, tattooed and tired, works as a baker early every morning. He returns home for a nap, before spending the day with his young daughter. Together, they knead dough and spend time reading and playing while it rises. Yamasaki's characters are brimming with life and movement that is set against bright backgrounds. Comic-style panels are occasionally employed to depict the passage of time. The straightforward text of simple sentences is often smartly placed within open areas of the artwork. Yamasaki, a muralist by trade, incorporates sound effects into her beautiful illustrations. When characters hum or yawn, ribbons of the effect emanate from them, as if they are releasing steam. Dad and his daughter present as part of the AAPI community. In the book's back matter is a guide to nonprofit organizations who help families rebuild after a parent has been incarcerated. While it could be inferred that Dad was formerly incarcerated, that fact is never explicitly mentioned in the text. Instead, the book stands as a affirmation of a man's love as a father, his work as a baker, and his humanity. VERDICT This deeply empathetic title invites conversation and participation from so many angles; it is a must for all collections.—Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

School Library Journal

★ 2021-07-14
A loving father bakes at work and at home to make a life for his child and himself.

Under a full moon, Dad wakes and walks to work. Streetlights glow as an elevated train passes, and the Rise Up Bakery beckons with its warm light. Inside, Dad works side by side through the night with racially diverse bakers of different ages, returning home in the morning. While he rests, his capable child keeps busy till it’s time to wake Dad. Together they make bread and share in small moments while waiting for the dough to rise—reading, gardening, playing dress-up and soccer. At last they enjoy the teddy-bear–shaped bread on their rooftop before Dad tucks his little one into bed. These peaceful vignettes weave a picture of love and devotion, of parenthood and childhood enjoyed to its fullest. Heartfelt painterly illustrations offer a much-needed depiction of the diversity of fathers. Here, Dad is of Asian descent with a shaved bald head, brown skin, and an abundance of tattoos. Yamasaki’s simple text is accessible to even young readers. Her author’s note also brings a new dimension to the story, as she dedicates it to families affected by incarceration and the organizations helping them to rebuild their lives. Subtle hints that incarceration is a part of the main characters’ past are in the opening, wordless spreads, showing the child reading a box of letters from Dad. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Full of quiet moments of joy and affirmation. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews