I Haiku You, by Betsy Snyder, Random House, $9.99, 32 pages, ages 4 and up, 2012. Joy bubbles off the pages of this poetry book, as children share the little things in life that mean the most to them: the warble of a bird that wakes a girl in the morning, the rainbow that pushes aside gray skies so friends can play. Poet Betsy Snyder uses haiku to convey the sweetness and honesty of children's emotions, and the cute way they see things. When a child is sick in bed, the noodles of alphabet soup look like love letters for her tummy and when a child is hurt, her teddy hugs away her tears. Snyder's watercolors sweeten the words with images that reflect the ease in which children show affection and receive love. After a bath, a child wrapped up in a hooded towel snuggles with his mother as she coos: "from your button nose / to your little piggy toes / i luv-a-dub you." Later, a girl stands arm-in-arm with her teddy, looking up at "shiny mister moon," reassured by his big smile. Paintings have a soft, retro touch -- the children look as if they were stamped in blue ink -- and every image is delicately rendered. This is a book about opening the heart to love, and has the delightful effect of giving the tush a push to get out there in the world, live and love.
