BROWN SUGAR BABIES

Poet-photographer, Smith (Tall Tales, p. 124) offers a delectable assortment of chubby-fisted, cherub-cheeked, African-American babies. Page after page of crisply focused, color photographs feature infants gurgling, giggling, and yawning. The hues of the babies’ skin are lovingly compared to sugary treats, “. . . bubbling brown sugar . . .” and “. . . honey-colored hands. . . .” Toes, cheeks, bellies, hands, each are featured in gentle rhythmic language—“Creamy caresses of soft peanut butter feet, turn tiny little toes into sweet and tasty treats”—which elevates the book out of the cute-photos-of-babies pack. As a concept book, it has a few tricks up its sleeve. Each naked baby is draped in brightly colored fabric and framed in a matching color providing cues to the readers that this is a celebration of the black rainbow. Observant children will notice that the composite pages have duplicate pictures flipped. Toddlers will pour over these images again and again. No candy is sweeter than these scrumptious babies in all of their delicious colors. (Picture book. 2-4)