I Love You, Nose! I Love You, Toes!

"I love you, hair / upon my head, / straight or curly, / brown or red." From hair to tummies to toes and everything in between, Davick's peppy ode to all our parts successfully uses humor and a little age-appropriate information to deliver its energetic message about celebrating the bodies we've got. The infectious rhymes are well matched by clean, friendly illustrations, which feature large ice-cream-colored pages with wide-eyed, smiling kids front and center. Both the pictures' lack of background and the simple, bouncy text make this ideal for group sharing -- though young listeners might find it hard to keep still. At times Davick seems to be encouraging kids to join in: "I love you, back -- / you're out of sight! / Can almost hug you, / but not quite" is accompanied by seven kids sitting in a circle (around the text), each desperately trying to hug his or her own back. Private areas (nipples, "the parts that poop, / the parts that pee") are lightheartedly (and discreetly) included in the package. Davick ends on a vaguely philosophical note: "Body, you're / the one for me. / If not for you... / where would I be?" Not doing the hokey-pokey, that's for sure. kitty flynn