FOR YOUR SMILE

 A rhyming board-book ode to a parent’s love for a baby.

With quacks, buzzes, and meows, among other animal noises, a narrator explains just how much joy and love they have for their baby: “For your belly laugh, I’d tweet tweet like a bird. Because it’s the best sound that I’ve ever heard.” Each layout shows an animal pair happily enjoying each other. The illustrations are done in black and white with pops of red throughout—an artistic choice that, according to the back cover, was done so that babies can more easily see the images. The red mostly dots cheeks and highlights words, but one standout page depicts two mice in the doorway of their den, shadowed black against white light, a large red, eye-catching spool of thread to the side. Some illustrations give the impression of woodblock printing, most notably a diapered baby joyfully bounced by a parent with the night skyline of the Brooklyn Bridge visible through the window. The singsong-y rhymes provide appropriate pacing and a loving sentiment familiar in many similar board books. Unlike many other black-and-white, infant-intended titles, however, this one features far more visually stimulating illustrations that are well integrated with the text. Both the human parent and baby have skin the white of the page. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Age appropriate for little ones yet will also be appreciated by adults.