MY HEART IS A MAGIC HOUSE

In this squirrel mother’s heart there are many rooms. It’s an image that the author freshens and makes her own, notwithstanding its resonances. Here Jacobs uses the concept to explain to a young squirrel, who has a case of the baby-on-the-way collywobbles, that she will always have her mother’s love. “Will you still love me, Mommy,” asks the button-cute little squirrel, getting right to the nub. Her mother explains, in words as comforting and agreeable as Pons’s artwork, that her heart grows special rooms for all her loved ones, including the family dogs (and for a squirrel, that’s as saintly as it gets). “When the baby is born, there will be another room in my heart. But the room for you will be just as big as it is now.” A pretty picture; still, as any species kid likes this situation to be bell clear, Mother Squirrel gets to her nub: “I will never run out of love for you! I will love you forever and ever.” Words sweeter than acorns. (Picture book. 3-6)