EVERYTHING YOU

Cuddly animal parents gush over their equally adorable offspring.

There are books for babies, and there are books for parents masquerading as books for babies. This is the latter. This intentionally poignant board book speaks to the hope, joy, and love parents experience as they anticipate or celebrate a new baby’s arrival. The sweet, if occasionally strained rhyme bursts with declarations of devotion: “You’re everything POSSIBLE, / our miracle you.” Some of the effusions, such as “You’re everything MUSIC, / skip, skip to my Lou,” verge on nonsensical. Images are designed to pull at adult heartstrings, but they do work, with striking images of parental birdies watching their precious fledging or elephants joining their small and large trunks. With specific pages dedicated to discussing how a lion cub resembles Daddy or a baby whale is like Mommy, it may not be germane for single-parent or adoptive families. Sentimentality aside, it’s genuinely cute. The stylized animals are adorable rather than cloying, and the artist uses two successful color schemes, either brilliant, complementary colors as striking, fiery red foxes play peekaboo against a plain, richly teal background, or harmonious, with a blue whale pair swimming together against a pale, watery background, spouting a single red heart.

While this is a board book for the grown-ups, babies will still coo over the sweet animals.