Do I Love You? Yes I Do!

From sunrise to sunset, a young speaker experiences a sense of belonging in this sensorially focused picture book. As the child offers appreciations of a morning (“sky plays dress-up in her best sunrise colors”), the narrative asserts nature’s beauty as a sign of welcoming acceptance: (“Mama kisses me good morning/ the world is showing off, she smiles/ because it loves you”). Maternal affirmations similarly infuse a trip to the beach, where the heart-edged “sea races to my feet to show/ she can kiss me again and again/ and not get tired.” After the human pair, portrayed with brown skin, sing the title to each other, the protagonist feels grounded in appreciation (“this world loves me/ and i love myself”). Throughout Figueroa’s visuals, elements of the natural world (birds, botanicals) appear etched across lustrous unlined paintings in layered colors. The artwork’s brilliance uplifts alongside Forman’s poetry, whose echoing phrasing creates a reverberating effect that reassures: love can be found everywhere. Ages 1–4. (Jan.)