You Are My Baby

Two books in one introduce youngsters to garden critters and their babies. An ingenious cutaway design separates the book into two distinct, connected pieces, creating a small book that sits nestled inside a larger one. On the first large page, a blue bird, perching on a branch against a soft pink background, says: "You sing a happy song in our leafy tree." Open to the first page of the smaller book and more text-- "You are my baby, little hatchling"--and an image of the baby bird appears. This pattern is repeated with colorful and happy-looking spiders in their webs, snails in the tall grass, squirrels digging in the dirt and bees buzzing about the flowers. Each striking double-page spread has a distinct design, making it easy for children to match the baby animals in the smaller book with the adults on the larger pages. Another volume in this charming series, Ocean, depicts octopus, sea horse, fish, turtle and whale pairs against marine backgrounds of blue and green. The clever book-in-a-book construction, appealing collage illustrations and focus on parent-baby pairs will make this one a favorite for shared reading and individual exploration. (Board book. 1-3) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from July 1, 2014
Two books in one introduce youngsters to garden critters and their babies.An ingenious cutaway design separates the book into two distinct, connected pieces, creating a small book that sits nestled inside a larger one. On the first large page, a blue bird, perching on a branch against a soft pink background, says: "You sing a happy song in our leafy tree." Open to the first page of the smaller book and more text- "You are my baby, little hatchling"-and an image of the baby bird appears. This pattern is repeated with colorful and happy-looking spiders in their webs, snails in the tall grass, squirrels digging in the dirt and bees buzzing about the flowers. Each striking double-page spread has a distinct design, making it easy for children to match the baby animals in the smaller book with the adults on the larger pages. Another volume in this charming series, Ocean, depicts octopus, sea horse, fish, turtle and whale pairs against marine backgrounds of blue and green.The clever book-in-a-book construction, appealing collage illustrations and focus on parent-baby pairs will make this one a favorite for shared reading and individual exploration. (Board book. 1-3)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 18, 2013
Siminovich’s latest is two board books in one: a gentle, curved die-cut separates the lower left corner of the book from the rest of it, so that each section can be thumbed through separately. The larger portions of the pages feature adult animals, including a giraffe (“You reach high for a treat”) and a crocodile; their babies are pictured in the smaller “book,” and all the animals are portrayed in cozy textures of burlap and cloth. When the pages are opened in full, it’s almost as though the elder animals are encircling their little ones with hugs—a clever and reassuring effect. Simultaneously available: You Are My Baby: Farm. Up to age 4.