I’LL BE A CHICKEN TOO

A parent’s love for their child is limitless.

“If you think that you’re a camel, / then I think I’ll grow a hump. / If you think that you’re a grasshopper, / I’ll have to learn to jump!” As children imagine themselves as everything from a dog to a snake, their caregivers play along, too. The illustrations show various families pretending to be different animals, for example, hopping on pogo sticks like kangaroos or holding rolled up papers to their noses to imitate elephants; some kids and adults are even dressed like the animals in question. In the end, we see families cuddled together happily. The story feels similar to Margaret Wise Brown’s The Runaway Bunny (1942), with a “wherever you go, I’ll go” theme. Deas’ warm and cozy illustrations, rendered in watercolor, acrylic, ink, and pencil crayon, depict people diverse in skin tone, body type, and age; an older adult sports tattoos. In one captivating layout, an adult and a child touch noses while swimming with a school of fish, the dotted blues of the ocean adding depth to the scene. Toddlers and adults alike will enjoy sharing this story. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Simple and sweet.