Plenty of Hugs

An interracial family consisting of two moms and a toddler bicycle through a busy summer day, offering invitations to readers to observe the world around them. Alizadeh's pencil and digital illustrations are vivid and inviting, and continually capture moments of affection from the excited toddler waking up his still-sleepy mom to their last bedtime kiss. From the soft butch aesthetic of one of the tot's mothers to the family photos on the wall depicting a pride celebration, the illustrations are specific and detailed. Tickles at the farm stand and waving to the panda at the zoo from their bikes give way to a quiet evening, cozy towel cuddles, and several bedtime books in a routine that will resonate with parents of young children. Manushkin's text imitates the nonsensical patter of a parent to a toddler, observing the world around them. The third line, "There are plenty of fish in the sea" follows the instruction to "Look up!". One of the final lines reads "There's a glow for each firefly too, a jump for each cricket, a bounce on my knee, and us to make a family." The rhyme scheme is inconsistent from verse to verse, which may present a challenge for reading aloud. VERDICT Alizadeh's loving illustrations of an interracial, two-mom family will fill a gap in most collections and circulate well in collections serving bikeable urban neighborhoods.—Amanda Foulk, Sacramento Public Library

Two mothers and their toddler find joy in spending time together as this picture book's text describes a world in which "The sun shines on everyone./ There are plenty of fish in the sea." In Alizadeh's digitally refined pencil illustrations, the affectionate family--the child grins throughout, one mom sports a tattoo and an undercut--snuggles in bed, bikes to a farmstand and a zoo, and heads back home before sharing a meal and moving into their bedtime routine. Manushkin's hopeful lines emphasize both a feeling of abundance and a connection to the natural world: "There's plenty of blue for bluebirds,/ and red for strawberries too.// There is grass for gazelles,// for each panda bamboo,// and plenty of noodles/ for me and you." Cozy illustrations lend a classic sensibility to this incidentally inclusive bedtime tale for the youngest readers. Ages 2-5. (Apr.)