I LOVE YOU LIKE A RIVER

The natural world serves as inspiration for expressions of parental affection in Tillman’s latest offering.

In keeping with her earlier picture books that have made their mark on the baby-shower circuit, the author/illustrator offers readers warm affirmations of familial love, accompanied by art that incorporates whimsical details into realistic vistas. Rhyming verse relying heavily on similes evokes nature, while the illustrations depict parents and children together in idealized natural settings that mirror the text, with subtle, often delightful details incorporated. The words “I love you like the forest trees / that keep the secrets of the breeze” are illustrated with a picture of a tall maple tree ablaze with red autumnal leaves; a closer look reveals a large ear-shaped pattern in the bark of the tree’s trunk that makes it seem like the tree is listening to secrets passed between a child and parent crouched together below as a breeze swirls and sparkles overhead. Other scenes are similar in tone, whether focused on a rainbow, thunder, a mountain, or the titular river. The art depicts racially diverse people throughout, inviting a variety of readers to see themselves represented.

Loving and sweet—and sure to be a hit with new parents.