Traveling Babies

From the sunny yellow on the cover, all the way through, this is a warm and happy book full of things to discover. It shows how human and animal babies travel in all sorts of ways. The text has a fine sense of rhythm, with fresh and lively traveling words. Wildlife photos are paired with inviting illustrations of human babies and toddlers. I love the playful design. It uses larger type in colors for the travel words, like "trot and sway," "sail and snooze," "bobble along." And Ms. Galbraith's choice of animals is fresh and unexpected too. Small children will not only learn about these animals, they'll recognize their own familiar modes of transport. Moms and Dads are equally present, and the pictured children are diverse. This is a book to read aloud, and enjoy acting out together, again and again.

Written by Kathryn O. Galbraith and illustrated by Jane Dippold, Traveling Babies is a picturebook featuring color photographs of how ten different animal babies move around. From loon chicks hitching a piggyback ride, to a kangaroo joey in its mother's pocket, to a lion cub carried by the scruff of its neck, each picture shows a different mode of travel - as opposed to human toddlers, who can move about on a bike or a wagon! The gorgeous natural photography contrasts with the whimsical sketches of little people, in this delightful easy reader.

Traveling Babies celebrates the way all kinds of animal babies get around. The charming, poetic text is wonderfully brought to life by the mixed media illustrations. Kathryn Galbraith demonstrates once again that she is the queen of picture books with this child-centered story.