Bear of My Heart

Bear of My Heart by Joanne Ryder. Illustrated by Margie Moore. 2009. [December 2009] 32 pages.

There are so many bears in the world, dear, but there's no other one that will do.
You are the bear of my heart, dear, and I am the one who loves you.

Sweet. This one is sweet. You could probably tell by the cover alone, the title alone. You don't need me to tell you that this one is dripping in sugary sweet cuteness. And yet, there is nothing wrong with sweet books, cute books, if they're good. And there is much good in this one. This is little board book celebrating unconditional love between parent and child. The rhymes work. (Which is a must, in my opinion. If the rhyming doesn't work. If the rhythm is off a bit. If it doesn't make for a good read-a-loud, then what good is it really?) Nothing feels forced in this one. So I liked it. I really did.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers