A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.īrief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps.
Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. With its gold-foil cover and celebration of commonly depicted Christmas traditions, it blends right in with other offerings produced for the season-and as it does, it stands proudly out.Ī sweet and easy book to share with little ones at Christmastimeįamilies in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together. Little listeners will love spotting the protagonist’s happy tabby kitten in each spread, and black families in particular will appreciate such thoughtful details as a black Nutcracker doll and black Santa among all the poinsettias and garland that bestrew the house. Mommy’s skin is a tad darker than Daddy’s and Baby’s. Baby and Mommy share ebullient black curls (Mommy’s are loose while Baby’s are confined with a ribbon) Daddy sports a close-cropped beard and a fade.
Where this offering departs from those hoary classics is in its joyous depiction of a black, onesie-clad toddler protagonist celebrating the rituals of the holiday within a black nuclear family. Whitaker contributes ever-so-slightly retro-tinged illustrations that recall stylings seen in mid-20th-century Little Golden Books. Baby loves snow.” Asim’s rhyming verse enumerates everything that Baby loves about Christmas: the wreath and its ribbons, the tree with gifts beneath it, a family Christmas carol singalong, making gingerbread “men,” hanging stockings, and, of course, Santa. “Baby loves candy canes wrapped in a bow.
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