Love You Too

PreS-Gr 1—This title follows a father pig and piglet throughout the day using call-and-response as they wake up, get dressed, have breakfast ("When I say 'pancakes,'/you say 'more.'/When I say 'syrup,'/you say 'pour.' "), go to the park, have a picnic, and play hide-and-seek. They come home, have a bath, get ready for bed, share stories, and, most important, say, "I love you." The illustrations are inviting and whimsical, using soft colors and lines. The movement between multiple scenes on each page is fluid and intuitive, while humorous details add dynamic movement to the father/daughter relationship. In one instance, the piglet speeds away on her bicycle, leaving her father huffing and puffing behind her. On the outer corner of another page, a colony of ants carry off their picnic basket as they happily munch on watermelon. The palette is somewhat limited to primary colors and softer pastels, with unframed illustrations that float on the page and create a familiar and cozy mood. Likewise, the text is spare, with vocabulary focused on objects and situations children commonly encounter in their everyday lives. The use of speech bubbles within the illustrations and repetition encourages engagement with the text. Early elementary students will enjoy exploring the story independently or read aloud, while the call-and-response format provides additional engagement for the youngest readers to repeat familiar words back to a caring adult.