Tuesday Is Daddy’s Day

K-Gr 2–Children whose parents have shared custody are lucky in a lot of ways and this book begins with our protagonist pointing out some of them. She has two different colored bedrooms with two different kinds of beds. Daddy has a partner, Harry, who lives with him, while Mommy lives alone. The unnamed narrator is loved in both homes and enjoys the time she spends in each, reading and doing things together. She is settled into this reassuring routine until one Tuesday her mother shows up instead of her father. Her routine is shattered and she reacts by having a meltdown, even though a surprise awaits her. “I don’t like surprises,” she complains. But “Surprise” will be the name of the puppy who finds her in her room, sulking. The art in this book perfectly complements the telling, harking back to a child’s crayon drawings but with more consistency and finesse. Pink and blue vignettes help readers pinpoint the location of the action. Mother and daughter are Black, while the father and his partner are white.