Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this stylish board book, a baby with big eyes, brown skin, and little pearl earrings delights in the classic hallmarks of Christmas, including "our tall, sparkling tree/ with gifts underneath." With easy rhymes and straightforward, friendly illustrations, Asim and Whitaker present spreads full of traditional holiday cheer. Accompanied by a playful tawny cat, the child enjoys carols with her parents, hangs a stocking with her mother, and makes gingerbread cookies with her father. The anaphora "Baby loves" repeats throughout as the book builds toward a merry family present-opening scene and the conclusion: "Baby loves holly decking the halls./ Baby loves Christmas most of all!" Ages up to 4. (Sept.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
In this cozy board book, Asim (Preaching to the Chickens, rev. 11/16) lists, in rhythmic rhyming text, what a baby girl loves about Christmas: "Baby loves candy canes wrapped in a bow. / Baby loves jingle bells. / Baby loves snow." Throughout the comfortingly round-edged, digital-looking cartoon illustrations, the wide-eyed girl displays a sense of wonder and delight as she explores (accompanied by her pet cat) the holiday flourishes within her home: Mom plays piano, Dad bakes gingerbread, and family photos are everywhere. Details around the house reinforce the family's love and pride in their culture-for example, a Black Santa figurine sits on the mantle, and a brown-skinned doll is waiting under the tree alongside a soccer ball and toy train. Elissa Gershowitz November/December 2019 p.25(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Holiday cheer with Baby."Baby loves candy canes wrapped in a bow. / Baby loves jingle bells. 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. Whitaker contributes ever-so-slightly retro-tinged illustrations that recall stylings seen in mid-20th-century Little Golden Books. 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. 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. Mommy's skin is a tad darker than Daddy's and Baby's. 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. With its gold-foil cover and celebration of commonly depicted Christmas traditions, it blends right in with other offerings produced for the seasonand as it does, it stands proudly out. A sweet and easy book to share with little ones at Christmastime. (Board book. 1-3) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
