Mommy, Carry Me Please!

Beginning in the animal kingdom, readers are introduced to a series of mother/baby pairs including hippos, crocodiles, monkeys, tigers, koalas, and more before wrapping up with a human child and mother in a loving hug. While at a first glance this could be read as simply a projection of human emotions on animals, Cabrera’s display of how animal babies are carried by their mothers includes an interesting mix of less accurate (monkeys, hippos, and beavers) and more accurate (everything else, including some many readers may not be familiar with—such as crocodiles carrying their babies in their mouths) representations of animal behavior, which is both distracting and disappointing. In this simple board book about babies and their seemingly universal desire to be carried by their mothers—likely quite relatable to those reading the book—Cabrera’s signature illustration style is the star of the show . Playful and sweet, it portrays each mother/baby pair as loving and manages to almost make a spider family look cuddly. The addition of the introduction to different body parts (feet, teeth, tummy, etc.) is a fun and unexpected perk!