YUMMIEST LOVE
by Lisa McCourt and illustrated by Laura J. Bryant
A bear parent and child celebrate their love together. With a direct address to the cub, the parent bear describes the affectionate: “I love the snuddle we invented— / a cross between a snuggle and a cuddle, / but better and warmer than either of them.” And so on. Whether the child is stinky or clean, broccoli-hating or -loving, parental love is constant. Bryant’s bears seem to owe a bit to Sendak’s, but the full-color spreads show little of the master’s subtlety. Mercifully, McCourt abjures a rhyming text, but otherwise this love-fest does little to stand out from the crowd. (Picture book. 2-5)