If I Were a Kangaroo by Mylisa Larsen and Anna Raff

I love picture books that focus on parents and their babies – especially when I get to read them to my own babies.  There is so much of a warm and happy feeling you get when you’re reading about animal parents and animal babies together, and when you find yourself comparing them to your own kids, it’s really cute.

I have read several books like this over the years (I’ve been obsessed with kid’s picture books since my first daughter was born seven years ago), and now my youngest is four years old, and we still love reading these books together.  Bedtime has always been a special time in our house – I have always read books to my kids, but I just love actual bedtime related stories like this one.  They help make kids sleepy (and okay, they make me sleepy, too), and give them that cozy feeling that makes them content and happy.

It’s hard to even begin with all of the happy, warm, fuzzy feelings that this book bring about – there are so many happy emotions being displayed in this book, and all in a positive light that will give little ones a safe, loving feeling as they drift off to sleep.  The pictures in this book are simply stunning – they are illustrated in a playful way that young children will love to look at and get caught up in.  The pictures tie in with the story and make it easy for kids to understand what is happening, even if they can’t read yet.

The story itself is told in a nice rhyming poem style, which is really catchy.  Since young children tend to really like books with a rhyme scheme, this is a great one to pick up when reading to even the youngest children.  My four year old daughter has this book memorized, so we take turns reciting it together a few times before she finally drifts off to sleep.

Picture books like this one, beautifully illustrated and with a sweet, fun story that children (and adults) of all ages can relate to, are exactly what you think of when you think “bedtime story.”  It’s destined to become a favorite in any home library, and it definitely deserves it!

I love reading this book to my daughters because it even makes me feel safe and happy, and the beautiful pictures compliment the wonderfully written story to create a masterpiece for a new generation of young children and their families.