Bright Red Kisses

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

Oh, no! Mother is going out! But clever Mother, rather than giving her
daughter time to fret about being left with the sitter, enlists her help
in getting ready. The little girl approaches her assignment with great
enthusiasm, preparing a bubble bath, choosing just the right outfit to
wear, spraying perfume. The most difficult and important task of all is
selecting the perfect shade of lipstick. After a great deal of trial and
error, she determines that “My Red” is just the right colour for
Mother to cover her little girl’s face with “bright red kisses”
and promise her that “while you dream, / I’ll come home / and I’ll
kiss you again.”

Written in rhyme, Bright Red Kisses is sure to appeal to little girls
who, like our small heroine, love to play dress-up and experiment with
“lotion[s] and potion[s]” and makeup.

Deirdre Betteridge’s whimsical pastel illustrations are often
humorous (as when Mother is covered with oatmeal and warmed-up cold
cream), adding to our enjoyment of the story. Recommended.