You and Me, Baby

Baby-K–The special bond between mothers and babies is explored with tenderness and grace. “Look at you! So new.” Thus starts the tender communication between a mother and a new baby. From loving looks to careful hugs, mothers and babies of all ethnicities are drawn in beautifully rendered pastel colors and soft, curving lines. Mostly plain backgrounds and spare text—just a few words on each page—allow onlookers to focus on the sleeping, smiling, crying, laughing, and eventually almost-waking babies and their mothers. Life with a new baby is not all smooth sailing, of course, and this is gently acknowledged in the lyrical text: “You howled and I learned to hold you just so.” Sleep-deprived new moms might sigh with envy at the picture of a mom and baby napping together. This is the kind of book children will want to hear again and again, and it would work just as well to share with a new big sister or brother who might be anxious about the new arrival to remind them how they were welcomed into the world.