I Love My Mommy

Mommy is, in a word, awesome. "She's great to cuddle, soft to touch," writes Andreae (Giraffes Can't Dance), doesn't recoil from a "grubby nose" (a phrase that hints at this book's original publication in Great Britain), is a huge help when toilet training ("She's really very kind to me,/ She even helps me learn to pee!"), and offers plenty of positive reinforcement. Adorned with hearts, bubbles, and music notes, Dodd's (I Don't Want a Cool Cat!) nursery-hued, generously scaled cartoonlike drawings joyfully convey the many sides of Mommy—from silly ("I like to watch her brush her hair/ And dance around in her underwear!") to comforting (when a building block disaster strikes at playtime)—but only one mood: upbeat and unconditionally loving, even when Mommy is asking her little one "not to scream and shout" when they go out to eat. It may not be a true 360-degree portrait of the parent-child dynamic, but it could be just the ticket on those days when both sides need reminding of just how much they enjoy being with each other. Ages 1–5. (Feb.)