Plenty of Hugs

Baby-Toddler–An interracial family consisting of two moms and a toddler bicycle through a busy summer day, offering invitations to readers to observe the world around them. Alizadeh’s pencil and digital illustrations are vivid and inviting, and continually capture moments of affection from the excited toddler waking up his still-sleepy mom to their last bedtime kiss. From the soft butch aesthetic of one of the tot’s mothers to the family photos on the wall depicting a pride celebration, the illustrations are specific and detailed. Tickles at the farm stand and waving to the panda at the zoo from their bikes give way to a quiet evening, cozy towel cuddles, and several bedtime books in a routine that will resonate with parents of young children. Manushkin’s text imitates the nonsensical patter of a parent to a toddler, observing the world around them. The third line, “There are plenty of fish in the sea” follows the instruction to “Look up!”. One of the final lines reads “There’s a glow for each firefly too, a jump for each cricket, a bounce on my knee, and us to make a family.” The rhyme scheme is inconsistent from verse to verse, which may present a challenge for reading aloud.