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PRESCHOOL
Newman, Lesléa

As Babies Dream

32 pp. | Magination | September, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-43383-681-7 $16.99
(2) PS Illustrated by Taia Morley. Newman and Morley present a warm, reassuring picture book that draws a connection between the natural world and family love. Newman's spare text, composed mainly of creatures' names or natural phenomena and well-paired descriptive verbs, provides scene-setting snippets: "As the turtles sun / and the snakes slide, / As the horses run / and the swans glide..." Each spread pairs creatures great and small, with caretaker grownups nurturing and protecting the littler ones. After zooming out to space ("As the moon glows / and the earth spins"), the tale returns to a city apartment building, home to several configurations of family, and delivers the concluding line: "...the babies dream / safe in our love." The gentle, lilting rhythm is easy to follow and recite, and the message is as comforting as could be. Morley's colorful, textured illustrations, too, exude adoration and warm-heartedness. As the day nears its end, and the sky slowly darkens, viewers also may experience the peace and calm elicited by this tranquil volume.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

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