“When she takes my hand / and begins to sing / I love her more / than / anything.” (“Grandma” by Prince Redcloud) A hefty board book anthology features 30 short poems for babies and toddlers arranged into sections titled Food, Family, Firsts, Play, and Bedtime. Most of the poems feature the strong rhythm and rhyme typical of poems and verse for the very young. The bright, cheerful illustrations, which are sweet leaning toward precious, feature personified animal families. (Ages birth–2)

Beloved children’s poet and anthologizer Lee Bennett Hopkins has produced more than 100 volumes of poetry throughout his illustrious career, but Lullaby and Kisses Sweet is his first collection geared toward babies and toddlers. Featuring 30 original poems by esteemed children’s writers like Jane Yolen, Marilyn Singer, and J. Patrick Lewis, the book introduces the youngest readers to loving rhymes in a playful, accessible way.

This beautifully designed casebound board book is organized into five themes—Family, Food, “Firsts,” Playtime, and Bedtime—while cuddly, anthropomorphized animals make the poems friendly and relatable. Lullaby and Kisses Sweet fosters the love of poetry and is the perfect gift for babies, toddlers, and their poetry-loving parents.