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Up! How Families Around the World Carry Their Little Ones

Ages 2+

Around the world, little ones are carried in many different ways: in slings, on shoulders, in backpacks, on hips, in baskets, and in loving arms. Up! depicts ten places around the world, from Afghanistan to northern Canada, Peru to West Africa. In each place, a mom, dad, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or sibling lovingly carries a baby.

With various family configurations and settings ranging from a busy outdoor market to a high-rise apartment kitchen, the book wholeheartedly celebrates diversity. Gorgeous cut-paper collage art adds warmth and brightness, and brings the lyrical text to life. Repetition of the phrase “Upsy-daisy” on each spread lends familiarity, and reminds readers that love for a little one is a universal feeling.

OwlKids Books, April, 2017
ISBN 978-1771471763

 

What the Reviewers Say

"In this picture book ode to familial love, Barron’s cut-paper collage illustrations depict a diverse array of family members caring for babies throughout the day. ...  Hughes’s buoyant text works well for reading aloud. Each spread incorporates the refrain “Upsy-daisy,” addresses the baby directly, and clearly identifies the family member portrayed. The vibrant background settings are not identified specifically but are clearly international and present day.... The exceptional depth, texture, and movement of Barron’s paper art provide plenty of visual interest to engage young audiences.

VERDICT Detailed illustrations of realistically diverse families elevate a simple concept. Ideal for sharing one-on-one with toddlers and preschoolers."

-School Library Journal, May 12, 2017

"Diverse caregivers and babies populate this picture-book depiction of caring and carrying... [D]epictions of families ... use detailed, striking cut-paper collages to consciously highlight and value diversity. For example, girls and women wear the hijab on the spreads for Egypt and Afghanistan, and the depicted Korean father uses a wheelchair while wearing his baby on his chest in a carrier. ...

A celebration of baby love as it’s carried out all over the world."

-Kirkus, February 4, 2017

"In Susan Hughes’ new book, Up! How Families Around the World Carry Little Ones, she explores the many ways children are carried around the world, “in slings, on shoulders, in backpacks, on hips, in baskets, and in loving arms.

Up! takes readers around the world, bringing them from northern Canada to West Africa, and eight other places in between. Toronto-based illustrator Ashley Barron skillfully uses cut-paper collage art to accelerate the sense of warmth evident on every page.”

-Hamilton Review of Books, April 2017

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