Hiroe Nakata

All of a newborn, from head to toe, is appreciated and loved by various members of an adoring family. Lively language and joyful illustrations are used in this ebullient celebratory book.

Ah, that baby in those “White shoes./High-jumping,/fast-funning,/fine-looking/shoes!” sure moves quickly when she and her mama take a walk to the park and beyond. Lively language and jaunty watercolors share the joy of the outing — for mother and child!

Fathers often have special names for their children. Each nickname is a fitting one, giving a hint as to what characterizes the young one and his parent. The human dad calls his child Doodlebug, while a snail’s father calls it “Goo-and-Go.” Soft illustrations convey affection and playfulness between parents and children.

Five ducks ride on bicycles for an apple-picking adventure. The rhyming text and gentle illustrations create a playful, satisfying, everyday adventure.

As they share everyday activities, Grandma calls the narrator lots of loving names using rhythmic, rhyming language – just like familiar animals and their young.

While a family with a baby enjoys a picnic, forest animal babies and their families engage in comparable activities. Lighthearted illustrations show parallel human and animal family scenes with a rhythmic text for added fun.

Short poems and translucent watercolors capture the sights, the cold, and the fun of winter. A squirrel, however, “scolds and scolds/this mean white stuff/that stole his snack/and chills his toes.”