ALA Booklist (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

Textured black-ink prints with spots of color on creamy, thick paper add to the richness of the experiences portrayed in this collection of 11 poems by the duo who created Movi la mano / I Moved My Hand (2014). On double-page spreads, each short piece focuses on a different animal mother and her offspring. The translated verses (the original Spanish text is not included) do not feature elegant form but are imaginative and memorable. Some are clever, some are comical, and all have plenty of aw factor. Caregivers and their charges will cuddle up as they read about the owlet who sees himself reflected in his mother's eyes, the monkeys who helpfully cover their mommy's eyes as she swings, and the cooing lesson a pigeon gives her baby. The bold, relief-print illustrations with bright patches of color bolster the offbeat, playful atmosphere. The final poem features a mommy elephant calling her calf back. These two appear again on the last, wordless spread, trunks entwined illustration that captures the closeness readers will likely share by book's end.

Kirkus Reviews

This Mexican import explores the many ways animal moms take care of their babies. Featuring seals, bears, owls, tigers, monkeys, cats, kangaroos, jabirus (a type of storklike bird), sheep, pigeons, and elephants, the text presents mostly animals that are well-known to lapsitters (though the stylized cat and sheep illustrations may give youngsters pause). Unfortunately, the uneven rhythm of the translation may cause the owners of those laps to stumble: "The tiger kitten is roaring / but his mom won't get upset. / She knows his baby fangs / can't bite anything yet." And the text leans more toward the sweet than the factual: "Who's got a pocket / without any pants / to take her joeys walking / from Australia to France?" Meanwhile, the mama sheep is proud to have knitted her lambkins their "sweaters." The graphic black-and-white illustrations with pops of bright red, pink, light blue, or purple are sure to capture readers' interest, though they may not hold it. Reminiscent of picture books from the 1970s, the artwork was made, in part, by inking interestingly textured objects and then pressing paper onto them, a technique children will want to try for themselves. Frottage, hand drawing, and computer techniques were also used to create the blocky, stylized animals that fill the pages. Striking, retro-looking artwork cannot save the stumbling verses. (Picture book. 3-7)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Luján and Sadat, who collaborated on Moví la mano/I Moved My Hand, pair short verses about mother animals and their babies with striking images. As translator, Simon keeps things loose, finding the right words to maintain the cozy atmosphere: -Mommy seal nuzzles/ nose to nose with her pup/ Warm fur and whiskers/ keep them snuggled up.- (Purists may note a few awkward vocabulary choices, as when the mother elephant calls her calf -at twilight on the prairie.-) Slate gray, woodblock-like shapes of mother animals and their young dance across the pages, their bodies and surroundings textured with leather, stone, wood grain, leaf, and textile rubbings, and heavy, cream-colored paper contributes to the book-s handmade feel. It-s a distinctive combination: warm and fuzzy verse accompanied by primitive, provocative images. Ages 3-7. (May)