SWADDLED WITH LOVE

In this rhyming board book, swaddling a baby is an act of love.

The story begins with a narrator telling a child about how the adults in their life eagerly awaited their arrival; an accompanying image shows a parent in a hospital bed cradling a newborn while the other parent looks on. Accompanied by images of various parents and swaddled little ones, the book continues with lines that range from affectionate (the narrator describes tucking the little one in and kissing them on their nose) to humorous (referring to the swaddled baby as a burrito or a lovebug). The book concludes with an image of a couple (one parent is brown-skinned; the other is light-skinned) in bed with a brown-skinned baby smiling in blissful sleep. While the words are gentle and fun to read, the book’s real strength lies in its illustrations. The bright palette and inked details create a vibrant cast of characters tending to the babies, while the soothing sweep of the backgrounds beautifully complements the sweet, affectionate tone of the verse. The families portrayed are diverse in race and ethnicity; though no pronouns are used, one or two of the parent pairs may be same-sex, and interracial families are shown, too. One parent uses a hearing aid. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Tender and joyful.