Sometimes, a picture book comes along that is destined to become a beloved childhood memory for those who see and hear it. A World of Love is just such a book. Told with gentle rhythm and rhyme, a series of animal caregivers tell their babies how they show their love for their charges. For example, a dove will sing to her chick so he can rest softly, while a dolphin will call to the calf she adores across the great seas he explores. A horse cheers his foal running strong across vast prairies “with joy the whole day long.” Finally a human parent hugs her child with love that wraps around the world “and comes right back to you.”

Aimee Reid has written the perfect bedtime or snuggle-time book, while Christopher Lyle’s collage illustrations using hand-painted paper, pencil and crayon provide an excellent complement to the text. Finally, Reid thoughtfully provides a page of interesting facts about some of the animal families portrayed in the text for those whose curiosity may be piqued. In sum, this is a book that should not be missed.

(Review originally published on the Portland Book Review and book donated to the Maltby Food Bank.)