Come to Me, My Chickadee! by Carol Thompson

A celebration of all of the pet names we use for our children, this book compiles names from around the world and from different cultures.  Thompson melds these names into verses that have a lilting rhyme that is ideal for the youngest listeners.  The end pages start the mood with the flowering and fruiting branches surrounded by endearments from around the world.  Thompson’s friendly children of all different races make for inviting characters.

Thompson’s verse has a wonderful rhythm and rhyme that make reading it aloud great fun.  There will be foreign words and endearments, but nicely Thompson uses most of them in rhymes so that readers can figure out how to pronounce them.  Her illustrations are done in mixed media and capture the enthusiasm and energy of toddlers.

This one could become a favorite at bedtime and will lend itself to multiple readings.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from copy received from Child’s Play.