A gentle, lyrical celebration of the everyday joys in life.Young children and caregivers of various skin colors, ages, sizes, and abilities are illustrated in a variety of scenes: dancing, horseback riding, sledding in the snow, frolicking at the beach, and eating meals with loved ones. Brief rhyming text accompanies most of the images, elucidating the emotion depicted. A brown-skinned child and adult splash in a rain puddle ("You're the hop in my happy, / the SPLASH in my puddle"); a group of diverse children and adults prepare for and then celebrate a birthday ("You're the make in my cake, / the hooray when candles glow"). While the majority of the rich mixed-media illustrations depict people enjoying realistic activities, some vibrant spreads encourage the use of imagination and creativity, with characters depicted floating or sailing through the sky; all images convey warmth, peace, and love. One character wears a green hijab; another uses a wheelchair. The book offers a wonderful opportunity for expressing love and community values during small group or one-on-one reading and snuggling. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A sweet book with inclusive imagery for special one-on-one moments. (Picture book. 3-5)

Capucilli’s inventive expressions of love weave throughout this connective picture book, whose visuals literalize each phrase. The proceedings begin on a high note as two sets of kids and adults, all portrayed with brown skin, dance in a rain puddle and play instruments (“You’re the hop in my happy,/ the SPLASH in my puddle,// the sing in my song,/ the close in my cuddle”). On another, more fanciful spread (“You’re the magic in my beanstalk,/ my sail across the sea”), a Black-presenting trio and a little dog voyage alongside fish and flowers, catching stars in a butterfly net. Throughout, Holzwarth’s flow of warm, gently stylized mixed-media scenes, alternatingly peaceful and energetic, depict people of varying abilities, ages, and skin tones experiencing the natural world; gathering around a table; and finding cozy quiet moments to hug, dance, paint, or read. Ages 2–6. (Aug.)