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The Sweetest One of All

by Jean Little; Marisol Sarrazin, illus.

In the barnyard, everyone is having babies, and the babies are asking plenty of questions. The lamb asks her mother, “Who are you?” and is told, “I am your mother.” She then asks: “Who am I?” To which her mother replies, “You are the loveliest lamb in the land.” The animals in the barnyard – horses, pigs, goats, geese, and dogs – all answer their babies’ questions. They are all watched by a human mother who finally reassures her little child that “you are the sweetest one of all.”

This is a lovely book that will delight young children. The dialogue is lively and to the point, and keeps the story tightly focused on the parent-child relationship, while at the same time teaching the names of animals and their young. Little’s use of alliteration and internal rhyme will appeal to child readers and adults alike, and will stand up to many rereadings.

Sarrazin’s gentle illustrations, with their warm browns, golds, and greens, reinforce the warmth of Little’s words and the sense of love and comfort they convey. Although some of the animal faces are jarringly anthropomorphic, the book’s target audience of young children will likely not mind.

 

Reviewer: Joanne Findon

Publisher: Scholastic Canada

DETAILS

Price: $19.99

Page Count: 32 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 978-0-439-93775-7

Released: Sept.

Issue Date: 2008-10

Categories: Picture Books

Age Range: 3-5