Because You Are My Baby

October 22, 2007
Outside the cozy desert home of a human mother and her baby, Ward (Way Up In the Arctic) and Long (A Seed Is Sleepy) visit 12 mothers and babies in the wild to celebrate a universal truth: whether Mom is a coyote, hummingbird or human, she's dedicated to feeding, protecting, teaching and frolicking with her beloved little ones for the titular reason. Ward's tender couplets offer species-specific expressions of this devotion, but Long often pairs the sentiments with a recognizably human item, emphasizing the idea of maternal devotion across nature. (For instance, a baby bottle sits beside text reading, "I'll show you flowers soft and sweet,/ so you will know just where to eat," opposite a picture of two hummingbirds feeding from an orange lily.) Long, whose sense of color, contrast and line brings to mind the work of Walter Crane, is particularly effective in her single-page images. In one stunner, a dazzlingly dappled roadrunner gives her baby a loving peck, their green-tinted tail feathers stretching out into the white border. These gloriously rendered desert species are not identified, which may frustrate young readers (and parents) who are unfamiliar with them. But that's a minor quibble in an otherwise welcome addition to the bedtime shelf. Ages 4-8.

March 1, 2008
PreS-Ward's text is full of comfort and support for a loved baby, reassuring readers that the featured animal mother will always protect her child. The rhyming text identifies different characteristics of each desert parent, like the one who finds shade for her youngster in the hot sun, another that gathers twigs to make a nest. Each spread includes a full-page illustration of the animals in their habitat, facing a smaller picture showing what a human mother would use in the same situation, such as a sun hat. This book is a true partnership between text and artLong's illustrations extend Ward's verses from being just about the animal world to being about all mothers. Her pictures are full of detail, making the desert landscape lush and full of life, and showing the habitat's true beauty. Unfortunately, none of the animals are identified in the text or in a key, making this lovely book most appropriate for children familiar with the desert locale."Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2008
Outside the cozy desert home of a human mother and her baby, Ward (Way Up In the Arctic) and Long (A Seed Is Sleepy) visit 12 mothers and babies in the wild to celebrate a universal truth: whether Mom is a coyote, hummingbird or human, she's dedicated to feeding, protecting, teaching and frolicking with her beloved little ones for the titular reason. Ward's tender couplets offer species-specific expressions of this devotion, but Long often pairs the sentiments with a recognizably human item, emphasizing the idea of maternal devotion across nature. (For instance, a baby bottle sits beside text reading, "I'll show you flowers soft and sweet, / so you will know just where to eat," opposite a picture of two hummingbirds feeding from an orange lily.) Long, whose sense of color, contrast and line brings to mind the work of Walter Crane, is particularly effective in her single-page images. In one stunner, a dazzlingly dappled roadrunner gives her baby a loving peck, their green-tinted tail feathers stretching out into the white border. These gloriously rendered desert species are not identified, which may frustrate young readers (and parents) who are unfamiliar with them. But that's a minor quibble in an otherwise welcome addition to the bedtime shelf. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.