BABY PARADE

This story will make more than one child parade across the house.

It really ought to feel repetitive. Every page is phrased the same way: “Wave to the baby in the bright yellow backpack” or “Wave to the baby in the purple socks and purple sneakers.” Even the pictures look the same. Each face is an oval with two dots for eyes, like a child’s drawing. And yet, the babies look nothing alike. One child is about to stomp on his cupcake. Another is methodically walking his toy duck. Every detail suggests an entire personality and family history. (It takes a daring parent to dress a baby in purple socks and purple sneakers.) A quick glance at the last few pages, with nearly a dozen babies parading across a lawn, might make a person think that Tolstoy was wrong: Every happy family is happy in its own way. It may be impossible for readers to walk down a busy street without thinking they are part of a parade after reading this book. The final pages of the book show the babies “[c]rawling,” “[s]tanding” and then “walking!” It feels like a real triumph.

This book is a great choice for anyone who’s ever felt like they deserved a parade.