Utterly irresistible.
Two babies, two lives, and a special day of shared greetings and friendships.
“Somewhere / in the big, big city / across a beep-beep street / along two bumpy sidewalks” live this baby and that baby, who greet each other from opposite-facing apartment windows. This baby has deep brown skin and “a lot of curly black hair,” similar to his Mama’s. That baby has beige skin and straight dark hair, similar to her Papa’s. Together the babies lead boisterous, bouncy lives in which they eat (definitely!), nap (eventually!), and play (always!). Their loving, watchful single parents take them on a walk through the neighborhood to a playdate at the park, in a spread designed like a map that invites readers to follow their adventures. Lending itself to multiple readings, Best’s effervescent text captures the peppy rhythms on each detail-packed spread, often split between this baby’s experience (on the left page) and that baby’s (on the right). Using a classic throwback palette of muted reds and blues, set against a cream background, Kheiriyeh’s illustrations are endearingly hilarious (especially a spread on which Papa seems aggrieved at the frequency with which he needs to change his little one’s diaper). The parallel lives of these two families reverberate with a sense of community and camaraderie desperately needed in today’s divided world, accompanied by a soundtrack of giggles, wails, and banging drums.
Utterly irresistible. (Picture book. 1-4)Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780593564639
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Wonderful, indeed
A love song to baby with delightful illustrations to boot.
Sweet but not saccharine and singsong but not forced, Martin’s text is one that will invite rereadings as it affirms parental wishes for children while admirably keeping child readers at its heart. The lines that read “This is the first time / There’s ever been you, / So I wonder what wonderful things / You will do” capture the essence of the picture book and are accompanied by a diverse group of babies and toddlers clad in downright adorable outfits. Other spreads include older kids, too, and pictures expand on the open text to visually interpret the myriad possibilities and hopes for the depicted children. For example, a spread reading “Will you learn how to fly / To find the best view?” shows a bespectacled, school-aged girl on a swing soaring through an empty white background. This is just one spread in which Martin’s fearless embrace of the white of the page serves her well. Throughout the book, she maintains a keen balance of layout choices, and surprising details—zebras on the wallpaper behind a father cradling his child, a rock-’n’-roll band of mice paralleling the children’s own band called “The Missing Teeth”—add visual interest and gentle humor. An ideal title for the baby-shower gift bag and for any nursery bookshelf or lap-sit storytime.
Wonderful, indeed . (Picture book. 1-4)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-37671-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
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