Happy families are wildly different in this joyfully inclusive series of lavishly photographed portraits.
Love makes the world go round, but it can be a complex concept to explain to a toddler.
Thankfully, Douglas and Jefferson tackle the topic with aplomb, providing soon-to-be readers with simple text and images and caregivers with a superb tool to spark conversation. Pairing brief sentences with eye-catching photos, the authors emphasize that love is a multifaceted thing: “Sometimes love feels happy. Sometimes it brings a tear.” “Love can be soft and gentle or hard when we need space.” The accompanying visuals clarify the points made in ways little ones will readily understand (a caregiver cradles a baby; a child in need of space holds out a hand). Douglas and Jefferson demonstrate ways to express their love: “Sometimes love is helpful” (a youngster helps a parent wash dishes). “Love is listening even when there’s nothing to say” (a child comforts a crying baby; two people hug). A diverse cast is depicted. Several couples read as same-sex; a family in a courtroom celebrates their adoption being made official. The relationships between the people portrayed aren’t made explicitly clear by the text, offering a wide variety of readers the opportunity to see themselves here. To aid in starting dialogue, the last pages of the book feature discussion questions for youngsters ranging in age from babies and toddlers up to age 6, along with a note for grown-ups. We love it!
Happy families are wildly different in this joyfully inclusive series of lavishly photographed portraits. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781419780141
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires.
Little Blue Truck feels, well, blue when he delivers valentine after valentine but receives nary a one.
His bed overflowing with cards, Blue sets out to deliver a yellow card with purple polka dots and a shiny purple heart to Hen, one with a shiny fuchsia heart to Pig, a big, shiny, red heart-shaped card to Horse, and so on. With each delivery there is an exchange of Beeps from Blue and the appropriate animal sounds from his friends, Blue’s Beeps always set in blue and the animal’s vocalization in a color that matches the card it receives. But as Blue heads home, his deliveries complete, his headlight eyes are sad and his front bumper droops ever so slightly. Blue is therefore surprised (but readers may not be) when he pulls into his garage to be greeted by all his friends with a shiny blue valentine just for him. In this, Blue’s seventh outing, it’s not just the sturdy protagonist that seems to be wilting. Schertle’s verse, usually reliable, stumbles more than once; stanzas such as “But Valentine’s Day / didn’t seem much fun / when he didn’t get cards / from anyone” will cause hitches during read-alouds. The illustrations, done by Joseph in the style of original series collaborator Jill McElmurry, are pleasant enough, but his compositions often feel stiff and forced.
Little Blue Truck keeps on truckin’—but not without some backfires. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-358-27244-1
Page Count: 20
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday.
Animal parents declare their love for their offspring in alphabetical order.
Each page displays an enormous capital letter, one line of verse with the keyword capitalized, and a loving nonhuman parent gazing adoringly at their baby. “A is for Always. I always love you more. / B is for Butterfly kisses. It’s you that I adore.” While not named or labelled as such, the A is also for an alligator and its hatchling and B is for a butterfly and a butterfly child (not a caterpillar—biology is not the aim of this title) interacting in some way with the said letter. For E there are an elephant and a calf; U features a unicorn and foal; and X, keyed to the last letter of the animal’s name, corresponds to a fox and three pups. The final double-page spread shows all the featured creatures and their babies as the last line declares: “Baby, I love you from A to Z!” The verse is standard fare and appropriately sentimental. The art is cartoony-cute and populated by suitably loving critters on solid backgrounds. Hearts accent each scene, but the theme of the project is never in any doubt.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, but the syrupy sweetness will cloy after the holiday. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2095-6
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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