LOTS OF KISSES

Babies are kissed by their grown-ups, from head to toe.

In the preamble, a variety of mothers and fathers ask what happens if they kiss their babies’ eyelids, toes, heads, wrists and fingers. The lilting rhymed text continues: “If I kiss your belly // If I kiss your ears // If I kiss the knobs of your knees // Will I kiss away your tears?” These lines are meted out spread by spread, printed on one page in a bold, black typeface against gently patterned backgrounds, while a full-color photo of a solo baby or a parent (or parents) engaging with their little one appears on the facing page. Almost half of the cute and bubbly images depict families of color.

While the ending is a bit abrupt and the order of body parts kissed is not particularly logical, this title is bound to encourage lots of bonding.