You and I Are Stars and Night
by Kate Hosford; illus. by Richard Jones
Preschool    Beach Lane/Simon    32 pp.
2/26    9781665940382    $19.99

A parent shows a toy boat to a bubble-bathing child and offers an invitation in rhyme: “Will you sail away with me? / You and I are salt… / and sea.” On the next spread, an imagined ocean washes away the blue tile floor, and the child’s checkerboard towel becomes a wind-filled sail atop a tub-shaped boat. With each ensuing page, the parent spins seafaring adventures for the child as they navigate an otherwise familiar routine from bathtime to bed. They sail past “each wave and every tentacle and tail” and then drop anchor to munch on snacks ashore. They swim with baby mermaids and explore an island by running through forests and soaring over hillsides before making the journey home. Each rhythmic four-line stanza ends with a new metaphor; e.g., “You and I are fork and spoon” “…blue and sky.” Jones uses saturated, vibrant colors and a lack of outlines in his illustrations to create a vivid dreamscape. Hosford’s quiet, whimsical text ultimately settles on reassurance, demonstrating a respect for the needs of a young child: “Hold my hand and lead the way / Our home is still above the bay. / And everything is still the same / You and I are glow and flame.” Tender without being saccharine and fanciful without any dramatics, this is the epitome of a bedtime book.

From the January/February 2026 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.