BABY'S BEST FRIEND

This board book features simple, rhyming text and photographs of babies and their canine companions.

The arrival of a new baby often means pets get pushed to the side; this book shares the ways that babes and pups coexist lovingly. On each two-page spread, Curley’s rhyming text accompanies a beautiful, adorable photograph of the titular best friends. While a distinctly different breed of dog appears in each photo, four of the eight images showcase white-appearing babies; there appear to be two babies of color within the book’s pages and a third on the back cover. This imbalance is a disappointment, really, as the photographs are otherwise high quality and detailed. There’s a knitted hat that looks soft enough to touch along with equally fuzzy puppy fur and baby hair. The text is straightforward, with rhymes about snuggles, sleep, and playtime—all of the obvious baby-and-puppy combinations. It’s written in the first person, though it’s unclear whether or not it’s the baby or the dog sharing their perspective. Arguably, it works either way. This is a nice one to share with very little readers on a lap, but it definitely caters to caregivers inclined to gush over the sweet photos of little ones of the human and furry variety.

Cute enough—if only the babies were as diverse as their puppy pals.