by Judy Ann Sadler & illustrated by Susan Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2011
Ultimately a book that many new parents will reach for as they revel in their love of baby.
This tribute to a loving family will undoubtedly resonate with many doting parents.
First Mama, then Daddy, then other besotted relatives “reach” for Baby with lots of love. Cuddling, tickling, hugging, reading and playing punctuate their interactions in a rhyming text that delivers a mood of happiness and security as it asserts how important Baby’s family is. The antepenultimate spread states, “Baby is reaching for everything new,” with spot art depicting him reaching for assorted things. This sets the stage for a satisfying, if rather cloying and adult-centered, conclusion showing Mama and Daddy putting Baby to bed with the assurance that, although “Soon Baby will reach for the moon and the stars… For now you’re still ours!” A mobile of a moon and stars hangs above the crib, asserting Mitchell’s skill at extending text as it echoes the prior page’s night sky. Details like this and the pink stuffed dog (unmentioned by the text) who accompanies Baby throughout the book assure visual interest as the soft watercolors match the text’s gentle tone. A further nice illustrative touch shows readers an extended family that just happens to be multiracial.
Ultimately a book that many new parents will reach for as they revel in their love of baby. (Picture book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55453-456-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
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by Dan Saks ; illustrated by Brooke Smart ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020
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
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by Patricia Hegarty ; illustrated by Thomas Elliott ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 3, 2021
Guess how much you’ll be reading this.
Parent and child share a day of small adventures and cozy snuggles.
That the two happen to be tortoises is totally beside the point. Die-cut holes and shaped edges turn nearly every page flip into a surprise. Following a parental “Good morning, Baby” to greet the youngling’s “Wake up, wake up, I want to play… / The sun is up, it’s a brand new day!” the two reptiles ramble off to munch on leaves, weather a sudden rain shower, discover a flock of butterflies, climb a hill, watch the moon rise, and, at last, weary little one perched on top, settle down to snooze again. The paper engineering is ingenious. Turning a seemingly arbitrarily shaped page with a special window framing a pink butterfly fills the spread with many jewel-toned insects; even though the tortoises never change position, the scene is completely transformed. Hegarty’s rhymed narrative features lots of tender sentiments—“Wherever you are, wherever you go, / Baby, I’ll always love you so”—while steering clear of any gender references. In Elliott’s peaceful, grassy settings the wanderers’ small smiles and shared glances likewise create a sense of loving intimacy. This is likely to become a victim of its own appeal, being as the paper stock is rather too flimsy to survive much contact with toddler hands. Still, a clear winner for sharing with audiences of one or dozens.
Guess how much you’ll be reading this. (Novelty. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3509-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
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