I Love You for Miles and Miles

Forget comparing thee to a summer’s day—Goldberg’s first children’s book uses a truckload of vehicle metaphors to convey the heights and depths of a mother’s love for her child. “My love for you is/ Tougher than the toughest tractor/ Planting crop after crop,/ Helping through mud and muck,” reads one entry, in which Yamada (Bad Guy) shows a mother bear standing protectively behind her overalls-clad child as they chug through a field while purple storm clouds gather. There’s a mix of tenderness and action in nearly every scene, and Yamada sometimes creates space between the two bears in his cheery cartoons, letting the younger one pilot his own helicopter, jet, and tugboat in a way that hints at the push-and-pull between independence and intimacy. The repeating structure and gentle reassurances of Goldberg’s verse cast a cozy, restful spell. Ages 2–6. Author’s agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (Dec.)