Mary Murphy is the author-illustrator of picture books How Kind!, Little Owl and the Star, I Kissed the Baby and Panda Foo and the New Friend, as well as the young story book Parrot Park, illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg. Mary lives in Dublin, Ireland.
"You know, my Yummy One, the world is full of utterly lovely ones," a spindly-legged blue crane tells her baby as they view the array of animals that surround them. In a syrupy monologue, she explains why each creature is "utterly lovely" ("[J]ust look at Baby Elephant! That wonderful nose... those kind gentle eyes"), including a jungle bird, a shy armadillo, and a crocodile "with a grin that takes up his whole head." The crane's observations lack substance or humor, and sometimes simply miss the mark ("Numbat is so nice that wherever she goes, everyone feels good just because she is there"). Murphy's (Panda Foo and the New Friend) cheery mixed-media art gives the story some needed oomph, injecting the characters with personality, and should prove eye-catching to very young readers. The repetitious narrative drags on, though, as the birds hop from creature to creature, concluding with a final expression of maternal love. Murphy creates a safe, conflict-free jungle habitat, reassuring children that in a world of strange but lovely things, they remain the loveliest in the eyes of their parents. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
PreS-A big blue bird croons to her baby, calling it "Yummy One" and "Utterly Lovely One." She then goes on to rhapsodize about how "utterly lovely" various other young animals are, from the specific (elephant) to the vague (jungle bird). Oddly, the mothers of these other babies are never shown. There is no particular story line, just the sickeningly sweet, over-the-top enthusiasm of the mother bird and the repetition of the tongue-tripping phrase "utterly lovely." The quirky, bright cartoon illustrations, while cheerful, do nothing to help this story rise above the pedestrian. The field of mama-loves-baby books is already crowded; libraries can safely pass on this undistinguished addition.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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