Old & Rare
Illustrator: John Steptoe
STEPTOE, John. Daddy Is a Monster… Sometimes. NY: J.B. Lippincott [1980]. Square 8vo, [32]pp. Red boards with spine stamped in gold. Color pictorial endpapers; color illustrations on every spread. Slight ½ inch tear at upper left edge of front board (looks like a small white line), ever so slightly cocked, ½ inch mended tear at base of front free endpaper, else a clean, bright copy in original color pictorial dust jacket (small chip at bottom of front panel, trade price clipped and library price present).
First edition, library issue. Told from the perspective of his two children, Bweela and Javaka (the future Caldecott Medalist), this poignant story deals with the ways in which anger and love interact in their young family’s lives. The two-time Caldecott Honor Artist’s seventh book details his children’s perspective on their familial interactions, while his stunning art shows that sometimes parents think their children are monsters too… sometimes.