Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Lake life with you by Cindy Jin, illustrated by Andres Landazabal

 This gentle board book begins with a scene of a small lake, rising orange sun, windmill and farm buildings in the distance, and a biracial family moving leisurely down to the dock and tethered canoe. They are dressed in pajamas and bathrobes, a White father with glasses, Black mother carrying a toddler, young girl with braided hair, and a medium-sized dog.

Poetic text, rhyming from page to page, follows the family through a happy day at the lake, swimming, canoeing, hiking, and picnicking. "Let's roll out the blanket, enjoy good food, and relax in the shade/Then head on inside, for bath time fun, as the light starts to fade." Only on the cover, where a canoe drifts across the lake in the distance, are any other people shown.

I wasn't wholly taken with the text - I had to read the book through out loud to actually catch the rhymes and it's more conceptual than most babies and toddlers will grasp. The single family with a lake to themselves and the leisure to enjoy it are a small, privileged minority.

However, this is absolutely a book I want and need for my library. We are located in the vicinity of numerous lakes and many families go camping farther up north, where they will see many scenes similar to this one. "Lake life" is definitely an important part of many peoples' lives, even if that may not be in such solitary circumstances.

Verdict: On its own, this may not be a necessary purchase, but for those libraries located in areas with lakes, camping, and outdoor life, this is a must-have with the added bonus of portraying people of color enjoying the rural outdoors. Recommended especially for Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan libraries.

ISBN: 9781665935142; Published May 2023 by Little Simon; Review copy provided by publisher; Purchased for the library