Pink knees, soft necks, and round tummies beg to be kissed again and again in this sweet rhyming celebration of the love of mothers for their babies. Readying their little ones for bedtime, a menagerie of animals goes through the ritual kissing of each of their baby’s parts. A chipmunk kisses small hands; a giraffe bends to kiss a long neck; a chimpanzee reaches in to kiss strong arms as they dangle from a branch. A pig, a polar bear, an elephant, and many more soothe, tickle, and love their babies with soft kisses on all the kissable spots. Finally a young child, human this time, curls in his mother’s lap as she reads to him: “I kiss your dear face / and I whisper good night. / I blow one last kiss / while I turn out the light.” Snuggling into sleep, all of the babies are reminded that tomorrow the kissing will begin again. Winter’s (Always Copy Cub, 2002, etc.) gentle illustrations rendered in soft washes of color offer a dreamy depiction of the mothers of all shapes and sizes. A wonderful anytime choice for encouraging head-to-toe kisses. (Picture book. 3-6)
