Smile, baby!

Toddler-PreS--This new series of novelty board books finds the perfect balance in developmentally appropriate material that will be entertaining for caregivers and babies alike. Smile, Baby! incorporates interactive text about facial features with an embedded mirror throughout. The simple text is complemented by illustrations of animals using the body part specified. "Where is baby's nose?/ There is baby's nose!" includes illustrations of a fox sniffing a flower. 10 Hugs and Kisses features the same animal friends showing affection to one another as they count to 10. The entire series will be welcome in libraries.

This baby-centric board book has just what is needed to delight the baby in your arms. Namely, a 4-inch mirror seen through circular frames on every page. The frames make easy handholds when baby is ready to turn each page. The text goes from the general, opening with "Where is baby?" to the particular: "Where is baby's nose?" These questions are posed on verso; on the opposite page, above the mirror, it states the obvious: "There is baby's nose!" Below the mirror a related action is suggested. "Can you touch baby's nose?" The pattern of prompts is repeated with ears, eyes, cheeks, and mouth. On each spread, the action word is in a larger font, colored to match the circle around the mirror. The feature mentioned on each spread is highlighted by the illustrations. When baby is asked to pat their cheeks, a nursery-style fox, giraffe, and pink octopus are shown patting their cheeks. Some of the illustrations are less directly linked and seem mostly decorative. The pages about eyes show animals looking at books, though the suggested action is "Can you close baby's eyes?" No matter; illustrating eyes closing would have been too abstract. The focus here is on naming common facial features and concrete, easily repeated actions. A happy, age-appropriate book that keeps baby as the center of attention--right where babies should be! (Board book. 0-3) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.