Just Like My Papa - Hardcover

"The acrylic illustrations are larger than life and show the expanses of the savannah but remain warm and kid-friendly, especially in the lions' depth of expression, ranging from curiosity to impatience, from concern to pride. The pacing is superb, with just the right amount of drama for the youngest readers yet awash with reassuring paternal love and care for young Kito."--School Library Journal

"The personification of the lions allows the love between father and son to radiate throughout both the text and the luscious full-page colored illustrations. The book's rich, rhythmic language makes it a good candidate for reading aloud to a group. At the same time, its quiet nature makes for a good one-on-one sharing, too."--Booklist

"The warm and reassuring flow of the text coupled with the dramatic painterly scenes of the African landscape come together for a likable tale just in time for Father's Day."--Kirkus Reviews

Toni Buzzeo (www.tonibuzzeo.com) is a children's book author and reviewer and retired school library media specialist. She speaks at national, state, and regional library and reading conferences and does author visits at schools across the country. Her most recent books are Stay Close to Mama, a companion to this book, and theNew York Times best-selling One Cool Friend, ilustrated by David Small. Her bookDawdle Duckling, illustrated by Margaret Spengler, was a Children's Book of the Month Club selection and a Dolly Parton Imagination Library selection.No T. Rex in the Library was one of five books featured in Cheerios boxes in Fall 2010. She divides her time between a colonial farmhouse in Buxton, Maine, and a home near the ocean in Sarasota, Florida.

Mike Wohnoutka (www.mikewohnoutka.com) grew up in Spicer, Minnesota. His dad, an engineer, would bring home reams of paper with highway plans on one side. Mike filled the blank side of the sheets with drawings of race cars, snowmobiles, baseball players, super heroes-everything he was interested in. In high school his art teacher encouraged him to pursue art as a career. He graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in illustration. Mike has published books with Random House, Dutton, Clarion, and Holiday House. He enjoys visiting schools and talking to students about illustrating children's books. He currently resides in Minneapolis with his wife and two children.