Mother shares a book about love while Brother shares a book about friendship. Next Aunt Grace shares a book about adventure. Everyone in this family is eager to share books and have the newest member's affection and attention. But all kidding aside, this family knows the bond that is created when reading aloud with someone you love. When Daddy closed the last page, he smiled at me for hours and said, 'Say Daddy! Say Daddy!' He hoped that would be my first word! But wait. Did we hear correctly? 'Book,' I said. 'Book!' Educator Michael Shoulders, who has devoted his career and life to spreading the word that "reading is magic," offers a gentle tale reinforcing the bonding power of a good book and the importance of developing lifelong reading skills. Having been involved in education in many different roles for more than years, Dr. Michael Shoulders travels extensively, visiting schools and speaking conferences across the country. He has written several books for Sleeping Press including D is for Drum: A Native American Alphabet. Mike lives Clarksville, Tennessee. Teri Weidner is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Her previous children's picture books include Give Yourself to the Rain and Look Both Ways: A Cautionary Tale. Teri lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. PreS—This story is narrated from the perspective of a newborn: "On the day I was born Mother welcomed me into the world with tears of joy and read me my first book." Daddy reads to his baby bear as soon as they come home from the hospital. One after another and over time, various family members share books with the baby, pointing out what wonderful adventures can be found within the pages. The stories convey important messages about kindness and caring, dreaming and making wishes come true, friendship, the value of laughter, and more. After reading aloud, each relative urges the child to say his or her name, but it's no surprise that the child's first word is "book" (though the father still hopes that the second one will be "Daddy"). Pastel watercolor illustrations heighten the dreamy, sweet, and cheerful atmosphere of this heavily messaged tale. Parents and caregivers make the best audience for this story, which would be useful in literacy and wellness programs for young families and will find a place in parenting collections along with Rosemary Wells's Read to Your Bunny (Scholastic, 1998).— Linda Staskus, Parma Regional Library, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Having been involved in education for more than 30 years, Dr. Michael Shoulders travels extensively, visiting schools and speaking at conferences across the country. In addition to authoring the companion title, Say Daddy! , he has written several books for Sleeping Bear Press, including G is for Gladiator: An Ancient Rome Alphabet . Mike lives in Clarksville, Tennessee. A Rhode Island School of Design graduate, Teri illustrated more than a dozen children's books, both trade and educational. She worked in watercolor, colored pencil, and a little of whatever else happened to be on her desk at the time ... cat fur included. Teri passed away in 2019. She lived in lovely Portsmouth, New Hampshire with her husband writer Chris Dahlen, their son Nicholas, Mr. Budd the cat, and several fish, all of whom served as models for her work at one point or another.