WHEREVER YOU ARE

Parents and grandparents with a sweet tooth will likely lap up the latest in Tillman’s string of sentimental favorites. Couched in a series of breathless phrases and exhortations, the (presumably) parent's adoration of the child is expressed ad nauseum, accompanied by a series of slightly surreal illustrations. A swirl of white stars represents the parent's love. The child, whose face is always shrouded or turned away, is accompanied in each illustration by one or more animals pictured in photorealistic detail. The contrast with the softer, generally pastoral backgrounds is surprisingly pleasing if utterly inexplicable. Young listeners may wonder just why the child is frolicking in the water with a pair of hippos or playing in the surf with two small purple pachyderms, but the paintings are probably pretty enough to distract them. The text, unfortunately, has no such saving grace, and the abstract descriptions will do little to capture young listeners' attention. If parents want their children to feel loved, a better bet would be to find a book they'll both enjoy and share it together. (Picture book. 4-7)