Toes Are to Tickle

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

This delightful picture book is for the youngest listeners on your list:
toddlers, terrible twos, big siblings of 3 and up.

We follow “a day in the life” of a young child, from waking and
breakfast to bedtime: “Mommy is for one more cuddle ... one more story
... and kissing goodnight.” (Big Sister sleeps in the same room as
Little Brother.) Small children will find their personal experiences
reflected with humor and tenderness: “Bread is for more jam, please.
... Milk is to give some to the cat. ... Clothes are for putting on ...
and pulling off.”

Kady MacDonald Denton’s colorful paintings are charming, but never
saccharine. “Shoes are for taking feet out for a walk” (and for
trying on Mom’s and Dad’s footwear too). “Birds are to chase.
Flowers are to smell. ... Wind is to blow in your face” (with big
sisterly hugs for good measure). “Laughing is so everyone knows
you’re happy” (while parents, big kids at heart, join in a romp).

Bright colors, a whimsical imagination, and a spirit of fun pervade
this winning picture book. Highly recommended.