Heart-y! Never Too Little To Love by Jeanne Willis

LITTLE TOO-TINY LOVES SOMEBODY.

BUT SHE'S WAY UP THERE!

AND THAT'S A LONG, LONG WAY IF YOU REALLY WANT A KISS.

Talk about your oddball romantic mismatches.  This mouse is enamored of...

a GIRAFFE.

But where there's a will, there's a way, or at least Little Too-Tiny hopes so.  If only he can find something to stand on that will make him taller!

He looks around hopefully and tries standing on tippy-toes on a thimble. Not even close!

Little Too-Tiny tries all kinds of objects in turn, building a sort of  tipsy tower--a teacup, a cabbage, a candle, a cupcake.  He reaches as high as he can, but his tipsy tower tilts, and down he goes with a CRASH!

Topsy Too-Tall loves Little Too-Tiny, too, but she can see that his efforts are not uplifting.

Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do,  and in this mismatched histoire d'amour, Topsy sees that she's going to have to meet him more than halfway, in Jeanne Willis' little tiny toy-and-movable love story, Never Too Little to Love (Candlewick, 2013) Inventively illustrated by Jan Fearnley, it's inventive page design to the rescue. Each successive page becomes taller than the one before in stair-step fashion, until Little Too-Tiny's tumble. But love finds a way, at least on the last page  in this charming little board book, with a fold-down flap for Topsy Too-Tall's long neck, making the kiss possible at last. Kids will love the suspense of Little Too-Tiny's impromptu stairway to the stars and giggle at the surprise wobble and topple that follows. A fine Valentine's surprise for anyone, with its charming little story of  a star-crossed pair.

Heart-y Story: Baby Penguins Love Their Mama by Melissa Guion

Mama Penguin is pooped!

A flock of baby penguins to feed and teach is tiring!

Monday there are swimming lessons for the brood, and Tuesday it's time for sliding on their stomachs. Wednesday brings waddling lessons, and on Thursday, it's time for a tutorial on preening those ruffled feathers, not exactly the fledglings' favorite!

Friday brings fishing lessons, with lots of fun, but Saturday is squawking day, which would give any mom a headache!

ON SUNDAY, AFTER A LONG WEEK, MAMA TOOK A NAP!

While Mama dozes on the ice floe, what do her little ones do? They prepare a surprise, with streamers and hearty hearts which bespeak their appreciation for Mama!

Mama is proud and promises them (and herself) that they will soon be able to do everything big penguins can do.

"AND WHEN YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING I CAN DO, WHAT WILL I DO?" SAID MAMA.

The baby penguins proudly hold up the big, streamer-decked snow heart they have made for her.

"YOU WILL BE OUR MAMA!"THEY CHEER.

Penguins are popular in picture books these days, and Melissa Guion reprises her popular polar setting in the sequel to her piquant 2012 penguin flash mob story, Baby Penguins Everywhere! (see my review here) in her brand-new heart-y tale, Baby Penguins Love their Mama (Philomel, 2014). Guion makes the most of alliterative text, and her juxtaposition of the baby penguin's rainbow streamers and big blue heart against the black and white of their feathers and the snowy landscape are most pleasing to the eye. With a sympathetically humorous nod to mamas, sitters, and teachers everywhere, these stories make a perfect penguin pair for the holiday season.