“A hug from Mommy, warm and tight./A squeeze from Mama feels just right. This is how my mommies say,/’We love you, baby, night and day!”‘ begins this lovely rhyming poem from baby to Mommy and Mama. Each page or spread shows us a scene from their daily life—having a meal (and cleaning up messes), visiting a farm, dancing, singing in the car, then taking a bath and sitting inside safe and warm while a storm blows outside. Finally, it is storytime and bedtime, as the child reflects, “I love my moms and they love me. Together we are family!”
I love how this book interweaves the actions of Mommy and Mama in caring for their child. Mommy feeds the child and Mama cleans up; Mama washes the child in the bath and Mommy dries the child afterward. Mama reads a story while Mommy smiles and they all cuddle together. The book is as much a message to us moms as to the baby. We are both participants in this miracle of raising a child, and we each have something to contribute. For children, it offers a reminder of the many ways they are cared for and loved.
Joy Hwang Ruiz’s illustrations are warm and soft, complementing Anna Membrino’s soothing words. Full of glowing love, this book will likely become a treasured bedtime read for many families.
