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First Impression: A cute little book written in prose with a questionable moral but adorable just the same.

Papa Can Fix It! is the first book in a brand new The Adventures of Liam and Landen series of a series that is aimed at 3–4-year-olds, written by Lee Alfred II. Papa Can Fix It! tells the story of two African American brothers named Liam and Landen who can be quite destructive in their adventurous game playing. Each play time results in the destruction of yet another toy. However, the boys do not fret about it because dad is always on hand to fix their mishaps. Or is he?

Before I delve into the story, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Lee Alfred II for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cutely illustrated little book, with bright, cartoonish pictures in a full color palette. Some of the images cover the full page, whilst others leave enough white space for the accompanying text. Whilst simple in their design, they tell a clear story even without the words. It is a terrific book for sitting with your little one and asking them to read the pictures to you.

Another cute feature of this book is the writing itself. The book is in prose, so there is a natural and rhyming buoyancy the whole way through. The addition of a key phrase ‘Papa can fix it!’ allows for shared reading between the child and their grown up, especially as the key phrase is associated with a similar image each time it is presented.

It is really easy to get swept away with the full vibrancy package but on reflection, I have a few reservations. The moral of the story was weak. We have here two very destructive children that have no care for their own toys, nor the personal belongings of others. They even paint the dog. They are left to damage everything time again until papa finally tells them the only thing he cannot fix is a broken heart. However, the boys are not fussed because Nana has that fix covered. Whilst it is a kid’s book, I do still think there should be a stronger message about using soft hands and showing more restraint and respect. The children in this book are probably around the age of 4-5 years old so high time some discipline is incorporated. If I read this repeatedly to my boys, my house would literally be a bombed shell. For this reason, I offer a recommendation of 4 out of 5 stars and hope that books later in the series will address these concerns rather than putting the behavior down to high energy and high jinks.

Quick Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / G Rated

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