Everything You

In appealing child-directed rhymes, McPike (Little Bitty Friends) adopts the voice of a parent celebrating everything that makes a child special: “You’re everything fresh,/ the morning’s first dew,/ You’re everything growing,/ our summertime you.” Each couplet rhymes with you, a setup that could turn sentimental, but the book never crosses that line, thanks in large part to the artwork. Fleck (Black Belt Bunny) goes for big contrasts in his high-impact portraits of animal families: three yellow lions march across a dark purple spread, clutching each other’s tails, and a mother hen basks in the attention of her many (many) chicks as they chirp hearts at her. A few “mommy” and “daddy” references make the book best suited to households where both are present, but many families should easily be swayed by its charms. Ages 3–6. Agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Dec.)