Just the Two of Us

From Barnes & Noble

Actor and musician Will Smith has teamed up with award-winning illustrator Kadir Nelson to create a touching and telling story of a father's love for his son. Just the Two of Us examines a father's reflections on his son's life from infanthood through to young adulthood. With words derived from Smith's hit single of the same name and Nelson's beautifully rendered pencil and oil illustrations, this touching tale addresses some of the many ups and downs, joys and heartaches, and rewards and challenges of life. Underlying it all is a rousing theme of togetherness that suggests a loving father-and-son team can accomplish anything if they stick together.

While the driving force behind Just the Two of Us is a father's intense love and lifelong commitment to his child, Smith also touches on such weighty and trouble-prone topics as hate, anger, peer pressure, and broken hearts. The narrator father prepares his son for some of these curve balls of life, encouraging him to face them with dignity, honesty, and consideration for others. The pictures and text may well serve as a launching platform for discussion -- a safe way to broach potentially difficult subjects. As such, it is suitable for kids ranging in age from toddlers to adolescence, making this book a long-lived companion. (Beth Amos)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Grammy-winner and actor Smith presents the lyrics of his hit song that borrows the refrain, "Just the two of us,/ Building castles in the sky./ Just the two of us,/ you and I," in its celebration of a father's love for his son. Featuring various fonts and type sizes for emphasis, the text scans best with Smith's rap delivery: "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?" As he pledges devotion and offers advice to his son, the narrator's sentiment shines with sincerity. Describing the night he brought his newborn son home from the hospital, Smith states, "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." Emotion also runs deep in the paintings, which show the boy growing into a youth. The pictures rely on fairly conventional imagery: father holding up infant son against the sun, the two viewed in profile; father and mature son in thoughtful conversation on a beach at sunset. But Nelson effectively conveys the affirming message of the text. All ages. (May) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Will Smith, star of television and the big screen and Grammy Award winner, successfully turns his talent to picture book writing. The rhythmic rap lovingly relates the depth of feeling a father has for his son. From the moment he first holds his precious creation in his arms, through haircuts and basketball moves on the asphalt, to the young boy's emergence into adolescence, theirs is a celebration of love and interdependence. Couched in the lines of admiration are admonitions to lead a good life and grow to be a proud man. Because it is a rap, the poem scans better when read aloud. Alone, this piece might seem quite ordinary but paired with Kadir Nelson's bold and dramatic illustrations it becomes an eloquent tribute to a father and his son. 2001, Scholastic, $16.95. Ages 6 to 10. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey

School Library Journal

Dad's a cool, but caring guy, when he contemplates his growing son in this hip-hop tale about family love. The author is the famed actor and musician, and the book stems from his hit song of the same title. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

From The Critics

Kadir Nelson illustrates the actor/singer/author's first venture into the picturebook world. Just the Two of Us focuses on a father's ongoing love and participation as his child grows from a boy into a man. The focus on the father's emotions and hopes sets this apart from the usual treatise on father/son relationships and adds depth to the topic.

Kirkus Reviews

The lyrics from Smith's rap (of the same title) are beautifully illustrated here in this selection for one-on-one reading that celebrates the bond between father and son. Nelson (Big Jabe, 2000, etc.) uses a broad palette in his pencil and oil paintings to capture emotion and gesture in close-up or landscape views. The pictures are full of light, shadows, and love. He shows the father and the growing son of Smith's text playing ball and trimming hair, as the father advises, "Throughout life people will make you mad / Disrespect you and treat you bad. / Let God deal with the things they do / 'Cause hate in your heart will consume you too." Smith "standardized" some of the grammar in his text, which still needs to be read aloud, and with a beat. Different font size throughout a line indicates emphasis, and makes the words seem to move on the page. Though general in sentiment, the text is specific of an individual pair: "It didn't work out with me and your mom / But yo, when push comes to shove / You were conceived in love." This might make reading awkward for happily married fathers, but it's a unique and beautiful title, and for some it will fit the bill. (Picture book. 6-10)