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BEND AND STRETCH MAKING FRIENDS MOM'S HOME THIS LITTLE NOSE by Jan Ormerod Kirkus Star

BEND AND STRETCH MAKING FRIENDS MOM'S HOME THIS LITTLE NOSE

By

Pub Date: Sept. 17th, 1987
ISBN: 688-07272-0
Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard

A pre-toddler and his pregnant mother share activities together in this series with brief texts composed of what the mother might say. In Bend and Stretch, Mom does exercises while the baby climbs under and over her, warmly welcome at every turn, ending with a playful tickle and mutual relaxation--all shared by a curious black cat. As Baby plays with scraps and spools, Mom constructs a simple rag doll in Making Friends--a new friend for Baby to cuddle, but the last picture shows him drowsing in Mom's arms while the cat gets the doll. Mom's Home with a basket of shopping for Baby to unpack while Mom, obviously exhausted, relaxes on the floor: tiny clothes for the baby yet to come, cat food, a banana to eat right now. And This Little Nose is red and runny, occasion for a growing pile of tissues and playful comparisons with toys and cat. With deft line, Ormerod places softly rounded figures in beautifully composed arrangements, capturing the joy that a well-loved baby and his inventive, patient, but often weary mother have in time together. With a fine role model for parents and a good variety of clearly depicted objects and activities for the youngest to identify, this should become a staple.