By Cyrisse Jaffee

From a rollicking, multicultural family dinner, to a walk through the zoo, to precious together time between a mother and son, to a new dress for a toy bunny, these books introduce readers to the many ways families spread love.

Pass the Baby by Susanna Reich. Illustrated by Raúl Colon. Neal Porter Books, 2024.

Poppy’s Family Patterns by Lauren Semmer. Crown Books, 2024.

I Would Love You Still by Adrea Theodore. Pictures by Ken Wilson-Max. Holiday House, 2024.

Time for Us by Rebecca Walker. Illustrated by María Díaz Perera. Dorling Kindersley, 2024.

Grandma is setting out back-eyed peas, Papi’s making guacamole, and Mommy’s grating cheese — it’s dinner time with the extended family in Pass the Baby. The adorable, curly-headed baby gets cranky, enjoys her meatballs, feeds the dog, and makes a mess, as she is joyously passed from relative to relative. By the end, the grown-ups are exhausted, but as they doze and snooze, baby is still wide-awake.

The language and food reflect a shared Hispanic and Italian heritage, but the excitement and chaos will be familiar to anyone who has been part of a big family gathering. The energetic, colorful illustrations capture the energy, amusement, and comfort shared by a loving family. This is a terrific read-aloud for a group or one-on-one. If appropriate, preschoolers can reflect on what makes their family and heritage special or the good times they’ve experienced in a family group.

Not only is Poppy’s Family Patterns a sweet domestic story, but it suggests that a family’s past is interwoven into the present — and that children inherit all of the rich culture of that family and its history. Written by an author/illustrator who grew up in a “community of Black home-textile artists,” the narrative and the illustrations will also introduce preschoolers to patterns, an important concept that will eventually help kids understand math. “When shapes and colors come together,” Poppy’s mother explains, “they can make a pattern.”

As Mom goes through the fabric scraps from an old trunk, she explains each pattern and its family origin, from Granddad’s old paisley tie to a striped T-shirt Daddy got in France, to a plaid sundress that Nana used to wear, to Auntie’s chevron scarf, and finally, a polka-dotted piece of lace from Mom’s wedding dress. Poppy listens to the hum of the sewing machine and — voilà! — Mom has made a new patchwork dress for Poppy as well as for her toy.

The bold and saturated colors of each spread are eye-catching, filled with details, appealing characters, and even more patterns than are described in the text. An end page displays a “pattern library” and asks readers if they can find any of the patterns where they live.

A familiar theme in children’s picture books is a parent reassuring their child of their unconditional love. In I Would Love You Still, the message is as obvious as the title. In this version, a mom tells her child that no matter what animal the child inhabits or behaves like, they will be accepted and loved.

The double-page spreads are drawn in vivid color and the rhyming text nicely explains the animal’s characteristics as the mother and child walk through a zoo. “If you flew like an eagle in the sky … dangled upside down like a possum in a tree … sang like a screech owl in the night … lay like a hermit crab in the sand…” and so on, “I would love you still.”

Once they leave the zoo — a subtle change that kids may not realize — the text moves on to list typical child behaviors that sometimes annoy parents: “And what if you made a mess or two … built a den in our habitat … scurried all around, so wild and free…” Yet the message remains steadfast: “I would love you still.” Written by a pediatrician, the story is perhaps more pedantic than lyrical. However, its soothing message makes it an easy and relevant read-aloud for preschoolers.

In Time for Us, a little boy also needs his mom’s love. Jackson has tried everything he knows how to do — played with blocks, eaten his snack, and did “some somersaults on his bed.” But his mom is still busy working, and he knows that the keyboard’s “clickety-clack-clickety-clack” sounds means she doesn’t have time to play. A few suggestions from her help a little, but Jackson knows that “everything is better with Mama.”

Finally, she is ready! Jackson shows off his knowledge of the tropical garden they walk through, they say hello to their special tree, and then it’s time to go home. It’s only been 20 minutes, but it’s enough. “We weren’t gone long,” Jackson tells his mom, “but it felt like forever!”

Kids with parents who work at home will appreciate Jackson’s frustration and enjoy the resolution. Not all of them, however, may have a mom who works part-time or live in the lush paradise of palm trees and mynah birds that’s shown in the book. Still, the underlying message — “There will ALWAYS be time for us” — is one that kids need and want to hear. The illustrations are pleasant, though not remarkable, which suits the practical text and story.

Cyrisse Jaffee is a former children’s and YA librarian, children’s book editor, and a creator of educational materials for WGBH. She holds a master’s degree in Library Science from Simmons College and lives in Newton, MA.