It had to be you

New parents welcome an addition to the family. On the first spread, readers see a medical professional passing a swaddled newborn into a pair of eager hands. "Of all the babies that are born, it had to be YOU," the text begins. Subsequent spreads show the first-time parents driving home over what could easily be the Brooklyn Bridge, getting settled in their city apartment, and bonding with their tiny munchkin. As father and mother shower the infant with love, the text proclaims their adoration, emphasizing that the little one was destined to be theirs. The use of anaphora intensifies the emotion of the poem/story and creates a driving rhythm that underscores the sheer force of parental love. The illustrations are rendered in a high-contrast, black-and-white palette with pops of red. Given that babies see in only black and white just after birth and then see red first as their color vision develops, the artwork is deliberately designed with the littlest of readers in mind. The human characters have straight hair and appear as white silhouettes against black negative space. On one spread showing the family sitting together on grass, the mother is wearing what could be a hijab. A sweet and tender proclamation of parental predestination that will catch babies' eyes. (Board book. 0-4) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.