Review by Booklist Review
What does love and care for a child look like? Like this. A little bird couple welcomes a child, and Lebourg answers several short thoughts and questions across this sweet story, demonstrating the affectionate ways they nurture their little one. Soft watercolor images with sparse linework reflect the highs and lows of parenting, from how it feels to view a child's first smile to comforting them through a nightmare, and everything in between. Each statement reflects the anthropomorphic birds learning and growing with their child as the baby bird starts to gain a little independence. An outcropping overlooking a large body of water is featured throughout, foreshadowing the conclusive liftoff when the child bird flies with their parents for the first time. Originally published in French, Lebourg's work demonstrates an aptitude for saying just enough with the gentlest touch. Though perhaps geared more toward the guardian than the child reader, this title will make a delightfully quiet bedtime or SEL read.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--Lebourg shows how different moments make a parent feel about the child. Each moment between two brownish bird characters is illustrated in pastels and soft colors to accentuate the emotions. The parent, an artist, narrates how "When you're not with me, I picture you… like this." One scene is the parent creating art alone, and opposite is the child happily at play. Children following along when this book is read out loud will love participating as they catch on to the repeated use of "like this." Slightly older readers may realize that emotions are being depicted along with activities and different scenarios. VERDICT This sweet and charming book shows children how to connect emotions and memories through simple, repetitive language and softly colored illustrations.--Tracey S. Hodges
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A gentle ode to childhood and a parent's undeniable love. Echoes of cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé reverberate throughout this most charming French import, which follows two birds and their baby. One of the parents recounts the highlights of the little one's child's life. "The day you were born was a sunny day…," the parent says. The accompanying image depicts a little bird swaddled up tight. Turn the page, and the thought is completed with the phrase "like this," alongside the illustration of a beautiful day seen through a window, white curtains billowing. This pattern continues throughout the book, with the parent discussing a first smile, bumps on the head, nightmares, and more, pairing such moments with dreamy, evocative, and touching images. The result is a poetic encapsulation of what childhood feels like not simply to youngsters, but to parents as well. Though the book is told from the perspective of a caregiver, children are often entranced by the thought of what their earlier lives might have been like, and this book expertly taps into those feelings. Watercolor illustrations accompanied by thin pen lines fill the book with a sense of light and buoyancy. Amid a sea of books devoted to parent/child bonds, this loving portrait soars.(Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
