If You Were My Baby: A Wildlife Lullaby

Review By CAROLYN M. MULLIN

If you were my baby squirrel,/ I would welcome you to the world/ In a secret nest I made just for you.

And so begins this tender bedtime story. Following the same format on each page — three poetic lines written from a parental perspective — children are introduced to a different species of wildlife and a sentimental ethic of care or curiosity about that particular animal. Possums carry babies on their back. Mama duck leads her ducklings through “the wonders of lakes and ponds.” A beaver kit (that’s what a young beaver is called) learns how to build through hard work. Etcetera.

The delightfully captivating images will keep this book from gathering dust on the shelf. It’s also a wonderful means of instilling in children the idea that animals, like people, have family units which are very important, not only for survival, but for quality of life.

Ages 2-7.