You and I are stars and night

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.)

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.