Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Hosford's melodious rhymes and Jones's serene, soft-edged paintings highlight a caregiver and child's grounding partnership in this lullaby-like story. Amid a village "fast asleep," a caregiver presents a bathing child with a sailboat toy, while second-person narration invites, "Will you sail away with me?/ You and I are salt...// and sea." As the companions venture forth, "You and I" becomes an iterative refrain that sees the duo's connection expressed as common pairings ("boat and sail," "fork and spoon," "ebb and flow"). Meanwhile, their journey takes them through varied natural settings described via imagery-filled couplets ("Dive into the ocean spray/ and watch the baby mermaids play"). Employing dusty blues, purples, and pinks, the illustrations generate a dreamy effect, and concluding pages see the subjects' adventuring shift into cuddles in this anchoring bedtime send-off. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4--8. (Feb.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
A parent shows a toy boat to a bubble-bathing child and offers an invitation in rhyme: "Will you sail away with me? / You and I are salt... / and sea." On the next spread, an imagined ocean washes away the blue tile floor, and the child's checkerboard towel becomes a wind-filled sail atop a tub-shaped boat. With each ensuing page, the parent spins seafaring adventures for the child as they navigate an otherwise familiar routine from bathtime to bed. They sail past "each wave and every tentacle and tail" and then drop anchor to munch on snacks ashore. They swim with baby mermaids and explore an island by running through forests and soaring over hillsides before making the journey home. Each rhythmic four-line stanza ends with a new metaphor; e.g., "You and I are fork and spoon" "...blue and sky." Jones uses saturated, vibrant colors and a lack of outlines in his illustrations to create a vivid dreamscape. Hosford's quiet, whimsical text ultimately settles on reassurance, demonstrating a respect for the needs of a young child: "Hold my hand and lead the way / Our home is still above the bay. / And everything is still the same / You and I are glow and flame." Tender without being saccharine and fanciful without any dramatics, this is the epitome of a bedtime book. Grace McKinney BeermannJanuary/February 2026 p.60 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Bedtime preparations kick off a romp through the imagination. In a maritime village where "the wind is calling," an unnamed brown-skinned adult and child begin their nightly regimen. While the little one bathes, the adult, holding a toy boat, asks, "Will you sail away with me?" As they embark on a journey "over lands unknown" and "restless waters," Hosford's verse employs a simple yet effective AABB rhyme scheme, each spread ending with the phrase "You and I are…" that compares the protagonists to something they recently explored: "salt and sea," "egg and nest," "stars and night." Caregiver and child reinforce their bond as they play hide-and-seek in a colorful forest, scale mountains, and finally return home. As bathtime becomes bedtime, the child gently falls asleep, assured of the parent's love and devotion. Hosford's soothing first-person text, told from the perspective of the grown-up, combines with the comforting deep blues and greens of Jones' digitally finished acrylic and watercolor illustrations for a natural bedtime read that's also likely to be a popular gift among new parents. Observant readers will see the child's toys making appearances throughout, adding another layer to a lovely reading experience. A soothing, poetic look at a common nighttime routine.(Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
