Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram

My cousin, who lives all the way across the country, had a baby boy on Monday. He emailed the first pictures today, so I just found out. I normally would have found out earlier, but my parents are on vacation, so I suppose the speed-of-light communication system normally used for gossip, rumor, and other assorted family news disintegrated and this important news didn't make it to me until now.

But I know now, and I have a pictures. My favorite of the batch is a the one of baby's 2-year old big-sis standing next to his carrier. The two cutest beings on Earth. I wish I lived closer to them.

Despite the fact that newborns have no use for books, I am going to send him Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram's Guess How Much I Love You anyway. Every family needs one of these, and maybe a little bean bag bunny to go with it. While the text is sweet and sentimental and almost downright sappy, I still like it. But it's Jeram's illustrations that make this book such a favorite of mine (and millions of others, apparently). Jeram is a master at giving animals character and thoughts without compromising their essential animalness. The small sketches featured on her website say it all.

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram

tags: children's books book reviews newborns new baby Anita Jeram