Like So

Perfect for a cuddly story hour or a cozy bedtime read.

PreS-K--A simple read-aloud about a child and grandmother's time together through the progression of a year. Shifts of color in the vibrant illustrations designate the changing seasons as a grandmother and granddaughter share the simple expressions of love in everyday life: baking in the kitchen, enjoying a hike, walking along the beach, picking berries, and building a snowman. As with all of Forman's work, essential truths and acts of love are hidden in plain sight, and in Figueroa's purehearted scenes, rendering intimate details of family life, quality time, and authentic goodness. Simple, vernacular language perfectly meshes with a gorgeous use of color in this beautiful picture book. VERDICT A worthwhile addition to any collection for young readers.--Jennifer LaBurre

"We got love," rejoice the child and caregiver at the center of this rhapsodic work, which takes on a sweeping dimension through Forman's poetic descriptions of a natural world that's built on affection. Just as the Black-presenting duo exult in their devotion to each other ("I hug you like so// You hug me like so"), they find the moon, the sun, the days, the trees, and so on also "got love like so," per a rhythmic refrain. Light infuses Figueroa's smudgy landscapes, which abound with botanicals and butterflies, and this luminosity extends into concluding nighttime winter scenes of the figures building a snowman beneath a velvety sky dotted with pricks of snow and stars ("night sky got love like so/ star glow got love like so"). Just like the protagonists' gentle opening embrace, text and art communicate a tender and expansive loving-kindness. Ages 1-4. (Jan.)