I Love My Baby

Toddler-PreS–A soothing, intimate portrayal of parent/child bonding. Layered, saturated colors depict forest creatures (and the one odd polar bear) going about their everyday ways as they care for their young. Parents attend to their little ones by giving them food to eat and bringing them surprises. The swan takes her little one “sailing,” nestled under her wing. The squirrel keeps his baby “cozy and warm” by cuddling together under the falling snow. These nonverbal displays of affection are rendered in full-page gouache-like digital illustrations. The foreground takes up most of the page, making the animals appear larger than life. Spare text describes the action with very little sentimentality. “When it rains I like taking long naps with my baby.” “I love it when my baby runs to me.” Very like Emma Dodd’s series of parent/child animal books such as Love and Together, this book has larger pictures and uses a greater variety of colors and animal subjects.