Just the Two of Us

Will Smith, musician, actor, and father, celebrates a father's love as he watches his son grow into a man, starting with the night he brought his son home from the hospital: "That night I don't think one wink I slept/ As I slipped out of my bed, to your crib I crept/ Touched your head gently, I felt my heart melt/ 'Cause I knew I loved you/ more than life itself." Smith's humor mixes with his affection so that the text doesn't become too syrupy: "Sometimes I wonder what you're gonna be/ A general, a doctor, maybe an MC./ I wanna kiss you all the time/ But I will test that butt when you cut out of line./ Why'd you do that?" This heartwarming portrait, illustrated by the amazing Kadir Nelson, is for all ages.

Reading level: Ages 4 and up

This story is written in the format of a poem, each line has a steady rhythm and beat and could actually be read as a rap. It hooks the reader from the beginning by effectively depicting the all-encompassing love a parent feels for his newborn baby. The story moves the reader through the parenting experience as the child grows up, and even through a divorce. It’s a good representation of how divorce doesn’t have to be such a life altering experience, and that there can still be love throughout the whole family even if the marriage between the parents may not have worked out. It’s a great book that shows the bond between a father and son in what could possibly be considered a more “manly” form of poetry—rap, therefore show more introducing little boys to the world of poetry without the stereotypical resistance of that being too “girly”. show less

I loved this book. Tackling a stereotype, but with rhythm I think many students would really get into. I think the family was represented well and clearly from the eyes of a young boy who looked up to his dad.

Just the Two of Us is a trade book about a relationship between a father and his son through three stages in life and touches on the values of dignity, integrity, and honor. The illustrations in Just the Two of Us is beautiful because it comes along well with the text. The colors are filled from top to bottom and can be seen clearly. Teachers can use this book in the class by talking about relationships between students and parents. I thought this was a very deep and meaningful book because it was about a father's love for his child.

Our parents are the first people we know in love in our life. The book Just the Two of Us depicts the relationship between a father and his son. The book opens with the father holding his son for the first time, the father would die before he let harm come to his son. The emotions displayed by the father reflects the way that most parents feel about their children. Throughout the rest of the book, the father tells the son of all the things he wants to teach him about life. The son will learn about heartbreak, the power or prayer, and how to be there for the ones that you love. The illustrations in the book are a perfect reflection of the authors thoughts. You can see the father giving the son his first hair cut and see them playing show more basketball with each other at different points in their life. The paragraphs are written in a song like rhythm, it's like you are rapping when you read the paragraphs. This is not a surprise, as the book is written by actor/ rapper Will Smith. A repeating line in the book is "Just the two of us, building castles in the sky. Just the two of us, you and I." This emulates a popular Will Smith song. No matter what goes on in his sons' life, he wants the son to always know that he will be there for him; just the two of them. This is a great book for a father to read to his son. show less

"Just the two of us" is about a little boy's relationship with his father. I think this book is perfect for a 4-5 year old that understands mostly what goes on between the child and his father. I believe the font choice was perfect for this book and the words also rhymed which can also engage the child's attention.

I like this book because I really like that he incorporated a song into a book and I like the song also. This was about a father bringing his new born son into this world and the bond they had through his life.
This book is for the age groups of 4-8 and I got the book at Pierce College Libraray