Hello, Baby! I’m Your Mom

An assortment of animal mothers share doting messages with their young in this affectionate story. Starting and ending with a tan-skinned human infant and mom, the book otherwise imagines the kinds of caring comments that might be made by 11 species—kangaroo, porcupine, rhino, tiger, whale, and more. Bunting articulates the unique attributes of each creature via rhyming couplets, which also frequently stress the mothers’ awareness of youth’s ephemerality. “Soon, I know, you’ll fly away./ Till then we’ll cherish every day./ I’ll bring you bugs to make you strong/ and sing you songs the whole day long,” chirps a bird as it feeds a grasshopper to some open-beaked hatchlings. Ishida’s luminous, full-spread renderings gently support Bunting in exploring parent-baby bonding. Back matter includes animal facts and photographs. Ages 5–6. (Mar.)