Daddy, Me, and the Magic Hour

Laura Krauss Melmed is the author of many award-winning picture books, including the classic lullaby, I Love You As Much and The Rainbabies. In addition to writing, Laura likes cooking for friends and family, hiking, typing with a cat on her lap, traveling and, of course, reading. She lives in Washington, DC. Sarita Rich is the illustrator of Hypnosis Harry. She grew up in northern Alaska, became a middle school English teacher, and then studied children's book illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. She lives with her husband and daughter in New Haven, Connecticut.

"A dad and his child share the time between sundown and dark exploring their world together. Returning home from work and school, dad starts dinner while mom feeds the baby. But after dinner, it's the titular Magic Hour, time for just father and the T-shirt-and-shorts-clad narrator to enjoy a post-dinner walk. As they wander, the protagonist's red plastic bucket fills with found treasures that mark the highlights of the evening. A woman watering roses donates one after a playful sprinkle; the child pets a friendly dog, and then child and dad use the dog's stick to play tic-tac-toe and to fence. They tickle each other with some bird feathers and swing hand in hand on the playground. Calm descends as the light in the illustrations fades. Crickets chirp; the duo catch fireflies in their hands. Dad swings the child up on his shoulders: "Together, we make a quiet giant / who can almost reach the moon." The final page shows Mommy tucking the protagonist in. She has the rose and a daisy also gathered on the walk, and the bucket and treasures are prominently displayed. Rich's characters are delightfully expressive, the narrator's exuberance and wonder sometimes barely contained. And it's clear that the father cherishes his bond with his child. All four family members have light-brown skin and dark hair; the people in their neighborhood are diverse. The magic hour reveals the magical bond between a father and son."—Kirkus starred review "A boy cherishes the twilight stroll he takes with his father through their neighborhood to the park. After a frenzied dinner with his mom, dad, and baby sibling (the boy’s father has to tell him to “Stop bothering the cat and come to the table. Now”), the two embark on what is clearly their nightly ritual. Rich’s artwork has a velvety texture that contrasts with inky cross-hatching. Snapshot-like panels separated by smudgy black margins show the moment-by-moment progression of their excursion, as the two encounter joggers, neighbors watering plants, and dogs and their walkers. In the park they play tic-tac-toe with sticks and ride on playground swings. As the evening gets darker, the scenes broaden into full-bleed spreads that focus on the special moments that the boy and his father share in the park, surrounded by fireflies. A bedtime kiss from the boy’s mother concludes this tender outing." —Publishers Weekly