BABY TALK / HABLANDO CON BEBE

Sweet black-and-white photographs show babies and the people who surround them communicating in ways that go beyond words.

Close-up photographs show babies of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds rubbing noses and being kissed, held, cuddled, or read to. Women, men, and a sibling, perhaps, make appearances. Each photograph is accompanied by simple patterned sentences that spell out the different ways of communicating. “I hold you tight / and you hold me. // Yo te abrazo / y tú me abrazas”; “I play with you / and you play with me. // Yo juego contigo / y tú juegas conmigo.” All of these statements our followed by the same refrain, “I talk to you / and you talk to me. // Yo hablo contigo / y tú hablas conmigo.” The photographs are framed with a touch of color that is also the color used for the Spanish text, while the English text remains black, thus making the Spanish text pop. The text is also framed and surrounded by simple geometrical shapes—hearts, stars, circles, flowers—that give a pleasing visual appeal to the whole and will help to hold the attention of babies.

Babies love looking at pictures of other babies, so this book should get plenty of use.