Dandy

by Ame Dyckman, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Overview

From New York Times bestselling creators Ame Dyckman and Charles Santoso comes the laugh-out-loud story of a father desperate to destroy the dandelion marring his perfectly manicured lawn, and his daughter's fierce attempts to save it.
 
When Daddy spots a solitary weed in his lawn, he's appalled (along with all of his neighborhood friends). But his daughter Sweetie has fallen in love with the beautiful flower, even going so far as to name it Charlotte. Racing against time and the mockery of his friends, Daddy has to find a way to get rid of the errant dandelion without breaking his little girl's heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316362955
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/02/2019
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	128,227
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ame Dyckman is the award-winning author of Read the Book, Lemmings!, You Don't want a Unicorn!, Wolfie the Bunny and Horrible Bear!, Boy + Bot and Tea Party Rules. Ame lives in New Jersey with her family, pets, and hair bow collection.
 
Charles Santoso has illustrated many books, including Wombat Underground, The Snurtch, I Don’t Like Koala!, Ida, Always, and the New York Times bestseller Wishtree, among others. He moves between different countries to live and work but calls Sydney, Australia home. He invites you to visit him online at charlessantoso.com.

Editorial Reviews

01/31/2019

It’s love vs. lawn care in this laugh-out-loud story by Dyckman (Wolfie the Bunny). When a lone dandelion appears in a lion father’s front yard, he’s determined to remove it. There’s just one problem: his daughter, Sweetie, has gotten there first. “Her name is Charlotte,” she says, patting the bloom. “She’s my best friend.” Egged on by friends and neighbors, Daddy hilariously tries to fell the weed with nunchakus, a jackhammer, a cannon, and more, but Sweetie foils his efforts at every turn. He finally has a clear shot when Sweetie heads to swim class, then realizes he can’t go through with it. It seems the weed will live—that is, until Daddy drops his shears, mangling it beyond repair. When the cub returns and discovers her drooping friend, her father shows Sweetie how to blow dandelion seeds around the yard, “dandy” consequences or no. Layered with handmade pencil textures, digital illustrations by Santoso (Wishtree) play up the drama of Daddy’s outsize emotions and outrageous attempts to expel the dandelion. A well-paced comic tale for all ages. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Scott Treimel, Scott Treimel New York. Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Assoc. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"The digital illustrations are a riot, both Daddy’s obsession and Sweetie’s sweetness and innocence coming through loud and clear. Hopefully this will spread around suburban neighborhood families just like Charlotte’s seeds."—Kirkus

"Santoso's bright, playful illustrations, done digitally with hand drawn pencil textures, are the perfect complement to Dyckman's hilariously over-the-top story...sure to delight a wide range of readers."—Booklist

"Dyck­man's well-paced text digs into the comedic contrast between Daddy's stressed-out hysteria and Sweetie's unhurried calm. Santoso's cartoony digital illustrations 'with handmade pencil textures' enhance both the humor and the loving father-daughter relationship."—Horn Book

Praise for Dandy:
A Leaping Lizard Read-Aloud
Winner of the 2020 Redbud Read-Aloud Book Award
A 2020 ILA-CBC Children's Choice Book
A 2020-2021 Florida SSYRA Jr. BookA 2021-2022 Nebraska Golden Sower Award Finalist
Winner of the Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award
A 2021-2022 Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award Nominee
 
"It's love vs. lawn care in this laugh-out-loud story....Layered with handmade pencil textures, digital illustrations...play up the drama of Daddy's outsize emotions and outrageous attempts to expel the dandelion. A well-paced comic tale for all ages."—Publishers Weekly

"Dyckman's heartwarming, hilarious tale is flawlessly matched with Santoso's vivid digital illustrations…A funny and inspiring read-aloud choice."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/07/2019

PreS-Gr 2-Daddy Lion is appalled by something scary protruding from his front lawn, a sentiment his daughter, Sweetie, does not share. On the contrary, the dire weed growing in his yard is Sweetie's best flower friend, Charlotte. Daddy's friends urge him to act immediately: "A WEED. IT'LL TAKE OVER THE YARD! THE NEIGHBORHOOD! THE UNIVERSE!" Shovel in hand, jackhammer, cannon, clippers, even scabbard… nothing "executes" the job, when Sweetie persistently shows up to foil his attempts. Ultimately, the Dandelion that emerges multiplies into Charlotte Two, Three, Four, and more. Dyckman's heartwarming, hilarious tale is flawlessly matched with Santoso's vivid digital illustrations. The animal expressions are riotously priceless: Daddy Lion's toothy astonishment when he spots the lone weed violating his lawn, the giraffe's fierce glare of contempt, a bespectacled monkey's astonished outcry as his hands are raised frantically in the air. Feelings change to tearful wails (Sweetie's weepy face is tragically endearing) as they all join in to surgically revive/resuscitate Charlotte after a pair of shears accidentally land on her. This story is a wonderful celebration about the abiding love of fathers suitable for Father's Day, in addition to a tale about springtime growth and renewal best shared when flowers begin to bloom. A focus on whether a dandelion is truly a weed or not should be discussed if part of a discussion about spring and planting. VERDICT A funny and inspiring read-aloud choice. Recommended for wide purchase.-Etta Anton, Yeshiva of Central Queens, NY

School Library Journal

2019-03-12
In the war against weeds, there's no match for a father's love.

The front endpapers paint the setting perfectly: a suburban street of neat houses with lawns and shrubs manicured to within an inch of their lives, the adult caretakers grooming them while their children play. A turn of the page, and Daddy is reacting with consternation as he spies "something scary on his perfect lawn." He's too late, though: His daughter, Sweetie, has adopted the weed—sorry, flower—as her best friend, "Charlotte." "Daddy hoped his friends wouldn't notice." But they do. And they pressure Daddy to take care of the weed that threatens the whole species-diverse neighborhood. But though he tries numerous times ("book time," naptime) and in numerous ways (shovel, mower), Sweetie is somehow "always there" with Charlotte. The neighbors add more pressure; Daddy's tactics grow wilder. And then Sweetie leaves for swim lessons: the perfect opportunity. But Daddy chokes. When something is suddenly "WRONG" with Charlotte, Daddy looks into his daughter's teary eyes and knows what he must do. And the rear endpapers show that the neighborhood tough-guy talk was just that, the fathers now joining their children in their play, dots of yellow on their lawns. The digital illustrations are a riot, both Daddy's obsession and Sweetie's sweetness and innocence coming through loud and clear.

Hopefully this will spread around suburban neighborhood families just like Charlotte's seeds. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews