If I Didn't Have You

by Alan Katz, Chris Robertson (Illustrator)

Overview

A father and son discuss the variety of outlandish items they might have if not for the other in this funny and heartfelt look at the appreciation we have for our families.

There are tons of things a parent or child could have, if they didn’t have each other. A dad may be able to have a sleek sports car, and a son could have candy for every meal.

But if to have those things, they wouldn’t have each other...well, they’d rather have their family instead.

Kids and parents alike will find the humor in all the outlandish things they could have, but also the tenderness of knowing they have exactly what they need with each other.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416978794
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	04/10/2018
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Alan Katz has been a print and television comedy writer for more than twenty years. In addition to being a multiple Emmy nominee for his work on The Rosie O’Donnell Show and Disney’s Raw Toonage, he has written for children’s programming on Nickelodeon, ABC Television, Warner Bros. Animation’s Taz-Mania, and many others. Alan is the author of several adult humor books, humorous essays for The New York Times and other publications, and books for young readers. Alan lives in Weston, Connecticut, with his journalist wife, Rose, and their children Simone, Andrew, Nathan, and David. Visit him online at AlanKatzBooks.com.

Chris Robertson has worked as an illustrator for magazines and newspapers and as a storyboard director for Nickelodeon Animation Studio. He lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife and three boys. Visit him at ChrisRobertsonBooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

2018-02-03
A playful exploration of familial ties. An anthropomorphic alligator family composed of a mother, a father, and a son named Mike live in a comically stereotypical suburban setting. Most of the text is made up of dialogue between Mike and his dad as they rib each other about what each could do without the other in his life. "I would never have to clean my room…if I didn't have you," Mike says, and "I suppose I could take sky-diving lessons…if I didn't have you. But I'd rather have you," his father muses. Each repeatedly concludes he'd rather have the other than any solo scenario, and there's plenty of joking along the way to these happy affirmations. Humor prevents the text from veering into saccharine sentimentality, and it's amplified by Robertson's colorful digital illustrations. "I could put my bare, stinky feet on the dining room table during dinner…if I didn't have you," Mike says, and an accompanying illustration adopts Mike's imagined point of view to show his feet resting on a platter filled with pizza, a burger, a doughnut, cake, and other goodies. The facing page shows a puzzled Dad asking, "Why would you want to do that?"—to which Mike replies, "Oh yeah, never mind." At the book's end, Mom joins the banter with a twist all her own. Here's a book many families will want to have. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews