BABY HEARTS AND BABY FLOWERS

A small, gentle, loving lullaby, in a perfect marriage of text and image. Using watercolor washes to illustrate in the most straightforward fashion his simple text, Charlip (Why I Will Never Ever Ever Ever Have Enough Time to Read This Book, 2000, etc.) rhymes his way into the heart: “Baby hearts . . . / And baby flowers. / Baby clouds / and baby showers.” He goes on to baby bunnies and kittens, baby books, tables, and toys, and closes with “Go to sleep now, moon and stars, / Trees and houses, bees and cars. / Go to sleep, my little one. / Sleep and dream now, day is done.” A circus pyramid of smiling hearts leads into a marvelous double-page spread of mama sunflowers, thistles, columbines, and bluebells holding their flower babies; each baby cloud and raindrop has a rainbow-hued mama cloud or silver mama raindrop beside it. Cars, trees, birds, books, pets, and stars are all shown in parent/child dyad. The colors are soft but not saccharine, the music of the spare verse is lulling, comforting, and full of solace and reassurance. Dulcet bedtime reading. (Picture book. 2-5)