Wonderful you

Everyone loves a good beginning. Graff delivers a heartwarming tale about a baby's introduction into the world, one guaranteed to be read and reread by children who wonder where their own tales began. She employs a simple yet effective rhyme scheme--each rhyming couplet ends with "you"--that soothes like a cherished lullaby as the narrator describes the wait for the birth of a baby. Graff, known for her enchanting middle-grade novels (Far Away, 2019, etc.), deftly relays the worry, delight, anticipation, and joy of impending parenthood. With each spread she employs the now-popular comparison of fruit to developing baby as eager expectant parents address the child to come: "When you were an eggplant, we called in our crew. / We painted and prepped and we waited for you," reads one representative spread. German artist Kaulitzki shares an inclusive cast of characters, depicting a multitude of family types to satisfy many of the ways modern people create a family, including evidently same-sex couples and several sets of interracial parents. While there are plenty of pregnant bellies in evidence, some scenes are open to interpretation of adoptive families. Her color palette is soft, rich, and warm, and her compositions are the artistic equivalent of a hug, blending fluid lines and whimsical colors as well as patterns to appeal to a diverse audience. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads reviewed at 150% of actual size.) A natural shower gift for parents-to-be or an excellent way to introduce the topic of where a young reader's story began. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.