Simply, gracefully perfect.
Mama and baby—best friends.
A brown-skinned mother with green-rimmed glasses gazes lovingly at a tan-skinned little one lying in a crib and reaching up to her. So begins a quietly joyful celebration of a day in the life of this pair, narrated in rhyming couplets: “Mama cuddle / Mama swing // Mama dance / Mama sing.” From bedroom to living room and out to a grassy yard, their day involves gentle play, Mama’s comforting of her child after a fall, plenty of tickles, routines such as mealtime and bathtime, and so much more. These two are never far apart, and their rounded figures bend tenderly toward one another; a particularly sweet spread depicts the baby lying on Mama’s chest (“Mama pillow on a Mama bed”). Lewis’ cheery, earth-toned palette of pinks, oranges, browns, and greens radiates the warmth exuded by the contented pair, subtly transitioning to the deep blues and purples of sunset when it’s time for bed. Straub’s spare yet meticulously written text effectively captures each loving moment and leaves room for the illustrations to tell their own, complementary story through details such as a patch of bright sunflowers and a special constellation on the last page. Readers will savor smaller background details as well: a picture of a banana hanging on the wall, stacks of alphabet blocks, and a green toy dinosaur.
Simply, gracefully perfect. (Picture book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593618592
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers.
A board-book ode to parental love as old as the dinosaurs.
A line of text on the left of each spread reads like a dinosaur-themed valentine that a third grader might choose, with punishingly punny wordplay that incorporates dinosaur-related words. On the facing page a dinosaur pair—a baby and an adult—gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes against whimsical, pastel-hued prehistoric-ish backgrounds. In smaller print, in all caps, at the bottom of the left page is the scientific name for the dinosaur referenced by the text and picture followed by a helpful phonetic pronunciation guide. White-outlined footprints appear next to their names, though the white is sometimes difficult to see against the pastel pages. Ten of the best-known dinosaurs are included. Twisting the dinosaur names to fit the loving sentiments succeeds some of the time but more often results in tortured text, well beyond the understanding of the board book audience. The line accompanying two hugging velociraptors, for instance, is just confusing: “Wrap-TOR arms around me, / with you I’ll always stay.” Others are just plain clumsy: “I-wanna-GUANODON you kisses, / I truly just adore you.” Very young children, even those fascinated by dinosaurs, will not get it. Older dinosaur fans will be put off by the babyish format.
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2295-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an...
A little boy exults in his new role as big brother.
Rhyming text describes the arrival of a new baby and all of the big brother’s rewarding new duties. He gets to help with feedings, diaper changes, playtime, bathtime, and naptime. Though the rhyming couplets can sometimes feel a bit forced and awkward, the sentiment is sweet, as the focus here never veers from the excitement and love a little boy feels for his tiny new sibling. The charming, uncluttered illustrations convincingly depict the growing bond between this fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, smiling pair of boys. In the final pages, the parents, heretofore kept mostly out of view, are pictured holding the children. The accompanying text reads: “Mommy, Daddy, baby, me. / We love each other—a family!” In companion volume I Am a Big Sister, the little boy is replaced with a little girl with bows in her hair. Some of the colors and patterns in the illustrations are slightly altered, but it is essentially the same title.
A good choice for caregivers looking for a positive, uncomplicated introduction to a new baby that focuses on everything an older sibling can do to help. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-68886-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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