Carry and Play: I Love You

Parents in five species—cat, duck, giraffe, hippo, and human—profess their love for their offspring in simple, repeating phrases: “I love you, kitten. I love you, baby giraffe.” Cottingham’s illustrations have a homey patchwork quality: the mother cat, sitting in a basket with her litter, has the texture of corrugated cardboard, while the human mother snuggles up to read with her daughter in a checkered armchair. A die-cut handle at the top of this rounded board book makes it easy to keep its warm sentiments close at hand. Up to age 3. (Dec.)