BLANKET OF LOVE

In soothing rhyming text, Capucilli wraps many different blankets around the young kids in this book—blankets of sun, of sky, and of snow, blankets of grass, of flowers, and of dreams.

“There is a blanket of sand / by a blanket of sea, / and a blanket of wind / blows a kite high and free.” The cheery illustrations by Hughes feature multiethnic infants and toddlers and their diverse families (including gay and lesbian parents) having fun together in a variety of idyllic surroundings: on the beach, in the park, or on the top of a hill. The babies and their parents have expressive faces, and animals and birds that appear in some scenes add to the overall gentleness; there is quiet action and overt affection on every page in this joyful board book. On one double-page spread, all the families in the book come together for a picnic in the park, and the book ends with a baby falling asleep in mama’s arms. “When a blanket of moonlight / brings a blanket of sleep, / there’s a blanket of love— / hush, not a peep.”

Although newborns and toddlers may not understand all the text, the gentle and tender words and illustrations in this book will indeed wrap blankets of love around them.