Read, Read, Read, said the baby: Good night Spencer and Spencer loves you by Michelle Romo

 These little shaped board books are sweet, but I'm not sure they'll have staying power. Spencer is a little brown cat and the books are shaped roughly like a cat's head, with gently curved ears and rounded cheeks.

In Good night Spencer, we are introduced to Spencer's family, which includes "Mommy, Daddy, Sister, Brother" and a pet goldfish. All but the last spreads of the book show Spencer on the left, dressed in a striped shirt, navy blue pants, and socks while on the right we see thumbnails of his family, pictures of his favorite toys, including vehicles, blocks, and a teddy bear, and the things he chooses from for bedtime. He picks pajamas, takes a bath, washes his feet, arms, tail, and face, listens to a story (shown as generic books "Trains," "Space" etc.) and in the penultimate spread his parents kiss him goodnight while the last spread reverts to the typical layout with thumbnails of his family saying goodnight.

Spencer loves you keeps Spencer profiled on the left, but instead of small thumbnails or objects, shows different members of his family on the right. The book opens with a picture Spencer painted of his family, then introduces each member. Mommy is shown reading in a chair, Daddy bakes treats with Spencer, and dances with his sister Penny. He plays with his toys (vehicles, blocks, and a teddy bear) with his brother Davey, goes outside with his grandparents, and feeds his fish Bloop Bloop. The last spread shows his family in heart-shaped thumbnails telling Spencer they love him.

The art reminds me of cartoons like Hello Kitty and the other Sanrio characters, with simple cartoon faces and rounded edges. A number of simple words and concepts are included, but if you have kids young enough to be learning about bedtime rituals and pajamas, I doubt that they're going to relate very much to a cat. Spencer's family is kind and loving and he does introduce a number of simple concepts, with colorful illustrations that will appeal to children and adults, but these ultimately did not stand out to me.

Verdict: If you want a wide variety of additional titles for your board book collection, these are perfectly fine, but there's nothing particularly noteworthy about them.

Good night Spencer
ISBN: 9781523510061

Spencer Loves You
ISBN: 9781523510078

Published July 2021 by Workman; Review copies provided by publisher; Spencer Loves You purchased for the library