Will Smith - musician, actor, and father - brings us a moving celebration of fatherhood. Smith's heartfelt lyrics and Kadir Nelson's vibrant paintings capture the beauty and intensity of a father's love as his child grows from a boy into a man. This poignant portrait will resonate with fathers and sons everywhere.

You may have heard the hit song Just The Two of Us by singer/actor Will Smith in 1997, but now you can enjoy those rhymes in another media form with your little one. Just the Two of Us is a large, hardcover book, which puts Will Smith's famous rap lyrics in print accompanied by large painted pictures with prominent contrasts of light and dark. The detail in the pictures is also impressive; shadows are appropriately placed, mirrors reflect, and skin tones are a mixture of many colors (rather than just solid). The picture of the father holding the baby up with the sun beaming just behind him is magnificent. The artist caught the intensity of the sun about to peak over the father's shoulder just right, making the father and baby almost shadows. The font is cream colored and pops off the darker sections of the pages, while the rhyming words are bolded to suggest emphasis when reading aloud. There is also a poem by Will Smith on the first page before the story begins. It rhymes and looks like it could easily be another one of his songs.

Parents will enjoy the words and pictures that capture some of the moments - big and small - in life that really resonate with parents. The book does a fantastic job of showing the emotions a new father goes through, and the love he has for his new little one. This would be a great bonding book for daddy to read and perhaps take some time to share. It will remind him what he felt like when he brought his child home for the first time. The pictures also show some precious father-son bonding moments, like cutting hair, playing basketball, and going for a walk. Ask your little one what they like to do with their daddy. Or Dad could share his favorite memories of 'together time' or even things he's looking forward to doing together in the future.

My husband read this book with a family friend's son, Shane, who is five. Shane has a stay-at-home-dad, so it was easy for him to relate to the book. My husband found a download of the song on the internet and played it for Shane to hear. He listened patiently, and then said, "I like the book better. That's not how I thought it would sound."

--Audra