by Kelly DiPucchio ; illustrated by AG Ford ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2017
There’s plenty of room on the shelf for this celebration of the similarities and connections among all our adorable littles.
“Littles are loved from the moment they’re born. / They’re swaddled, / and coddled, / and kissed every morn.”
Celebrating “littles” of various ethnicities, this book shows a diverse array of infants and toddlers, with skin of many colors and hair of different hues, enjoying sweet everyday moments with their families. Large, expressive illustrations set against white backgrounds and a simple rhyming text with a bouncy beat come together for enjoying one-on-one or with many at storytime. “Littles are cherished by kindhearted kin, / who sway and who play and make peekaboo grins.” Affection abounds as a mother nurses, a father bathes the baby, grandparents play peekaboo, and siblings kiss a sleeping baby. Families include two light-skinned mamas, one dark-haired and the other blonde, with their dark-skinned little, as well as a mama and papa of different skin colors with their biracial twin littles. But beware—for “littles grow BIG in the blink of an eye.” And before you know it, they are off to school, waving with delight. Though it begs comparison to beloved titles Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, by Mem Fox and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (2008), and Everywhere Babies, by Susan Meyers and illustrated by Marla Frazee (2001), it has a joyous vivacity that’s all its own.
There’s plenty of room on the shelf for this celebration of the similarities and connections among all our adorable littles. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: June 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-55526-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
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by Kelly DiPucchio ; illustrated by Jen Corace
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by Kelly DiPucchio ; illustrated by Loveis Wise
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by Kelly DiPucchio ; illustrated by Raissa Figueroa
by Gary Urda ; illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 14, 2018
It’s nothing new, but it’s also clearly heartfelt.
A love song from parents to their child.
This title will seem quite similar to the many others about parents’ deep love for their children. The text is wholly composed of first-person declarations of parental love, and it’s juxtaposed with illustrations of the child with one or both parents. It’s not always clear who the “I” speaking is, and there are a few pages that instead use “we.” Most sentences begin with “I love you more” phrasing to communicate that nothing could undermine parental love: “I love you more than all the sleepless nights…and all the early, tired mornings.” The accompanying pictures depict the child as a baby with weary parents. Later spreads show the child growing up, and the phrasing shifts away from the challenges of parenting to its joys and to attempts to quantify love: “I love you more than all the blades of grass at the park…and all the soccer that we played.” Throughout, Bell’s illustrations use pastel tones and soft visual texture to depict cozy, wholesome scenes that are largely redundant of the straightforward, warm text. They feature a brown-haired family with a mother, father, and child, who all appear to be white (though the father has skin that’s a shade darker than the others’).
It’s nothing new, but it’s also clearly heartfelt. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4998-0652-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
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by Gary Urda ; illustrated by Rosie Butcher
by Shelley Rotner ; Sheila M. Kelly ; photographed by Shelley Rotner ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2015
Vibrant photographs—especially action shots—will capture children’s attention, build language skills and, one hopes, start...
“We hope this book…will lead children and their parents to engage in conversation about their families.”
So begins this good-sized book, which is packed with photographs of families of many different sizes, shapes, ages and colors (although most wear casual clothing familiar to most American children). Bold, colorful type announces: “There are all kinds of families.” Engaging photographs throughout complement a simple text that informs readers about differences—such as big vs. small; genders and generations of parents; adoption vs. birth children. Positive similarities follow, as families get together for celebrations and family members help one another out and enjoy activities together. Only childless families are excluded, but that can be forgiven by the book’s noble, stated goal. Kelly adds an endnote to further encourage parents: “Recently, research psychologists have found that children who developed a strong family narrative from speaking with their parents about family history and hearing family stories, both good and bad, exhibited greater self-esteem….” As the photographs’ emotional spectrum covers the tiny range from cheerful to exuberant, it’s an open question whether this will encourage or inhibit truthful family-history revelations. However, the emphatic ending will certainly start a dialogue: “There are many different kinds of families. What about yours?”
Vibrant photographs—especially action shots—will capture children’s attention, build language skills and, one hopes, start conversations. (Picture book. 2-4)Pub Date: May 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3053-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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by Gwen Agna & Shelley Rotner ; photographed by Shelley Rotner
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by Shelley Rotner ; illustrated by Shelley Rotner
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by Gwen Agna & Shelley Rotner ; photographed by Shelley Rotner
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