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BABY KNOWS BEST

Babies always have a mind of their own when it comes to what they want to play with, eat, and wear, and the little girl in this story is no exception. In a room stuffed with every toy imaginable, baby’s interest is taken with the keys to the front door. With shelves full of board books with bright pictures, baby only wants to read the newspaper. When dinnertime rolls around, baby has no interest in the carefully prepared mashed bananas or the baby-sized cookies; instead, she wants to eat the spaghetti that the rest of the family is eating. An older brother watches (and reports) as baby begins to make her own decisions about what she wants to do and he’s amazed at the things she likes. Loosely rhyming text is accompanied by colorful drawings that seem to tumble across the pages as baby makes her way from one activity to the next, always climaxing in a double-paged spread of baby with her choice. The illustrations are full of stray pencil marks highlighting the chaotic effect that one opinionated baby can have on a family. This roly-poly little one will bring a smile to every reader. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: April 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-316-60580-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2002

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EVERYWHERE YOU ARE

A soothing bedtime reminder of a parent’s unconditional love.

Grammy Award–winning singer/songwriter Monét’s picture-book debut reassures the very young that their caregivers are always watching over them.

A smiling yellow star watches the equally cheerful moon; both are heavily anthropomorphized, with eyelashes for the moon and pink cheeks for the star. A page turn reveals the star, now downcast and in the corner of a mostly dark spread: “Sometimes the sky is dark and you can’t see the moon at all.” The following spread, depicting a sparkly sky with both characters back in view, reminds children that the moon is there, even when it’s not visible: “Think of me as the moon / It’s always in the sky / Just like I will forever be / a bright light in your life.” Both orbs beam. “I’ll always be your moon / You’ll always be my star / Just keep me in your heart and / I’ll be everywhere you are.” This becomes the refrain after a few more verses that continue the theme of the moon as a metaphor for emotionally present, ever-loving caregivers. Little ones will happily repeat the words as they’re lulled to sleep. The book ends with a heartfelt dedication from the author to her daughter and to parents who balance caregiving duties with careers. Monét notes that she set out to show children that their parents’ devotion endures no matter what—a goal achieved by both text and art.

A soothing bedtime reminder of a parent’s unconditional love. (Picture book. 2-4)

Pub Date: June 24, 2025

ISBN: 9780593698419

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025

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HAPPY IN OUR SKIN

The combination of lovingly humorous and detailed mixed-media illustrations and infectious rhymes will cause little ones and...

More than skin deep, this rhyming paean to diversity offers readers an array of families of all colors and orientations, living and loving one another in a vibrant city setting.

A giggling baby is tummy-tickled by her white and black mothers (or white mother and black father—impressively, the illustration leaves room for interpretation) in New York’s Central Park in its summertime glory. "This is how we all begin: / small and happy in our skin." This celebration of skin not only extols the beauty and value of various skin colors, but also teaches the importance of skin as an essential body part: “It keeps the outsides out / and your insides in.” Park, public-pool, and block-party scenes allow readers to luxuriate in a teeming city where children of all colors, abilities, and religions enjoy their families and neighbors. The author and illustrator do not simply take a rote, tokenistic approach to answering the cry for diverse books; the words and pictures depict a much-needed, realistic representation of the statement “it takes a village to raise a child” when a child skins her knee and many rush to her aid and comfort. Though her palette of browns is a little limited, Tobia creates sheer joy with her depictions of everything from unibrows, dimples, and birthmarks to callouts to recognizable literary characters.

The combination of lovingly humorous and detailed mixed-media illustrations and infectious rhymes will cause little ones and their families to pore over this book again and again. (Picture book. 2-5)

Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-7636-7002-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015

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