As Mother's Day approaches, several titles celebrate matriarchs everywhere. A follow-up to Daddy Hugs 1, 2, 3, Mommy Hugs by Karen Katz incorporates her signature dazzling patterns and candy-bright palette to count up from "one nuzzle-wuzzle wake-up hug" to 10 "I love you... good-night hugs" for a wide-eyed toddler and his or her puppy and teddy bear. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

PreS-Loving mother/child embraces are counted, from "one nuzzle-wuzzle wake-up hug" to "ten `I love you...' good-night hugs." The baby's day also includes encouraging "two `Choo-choo! Open wide!' yummy hugs" at breakfast, comforting "`I'll always catch you!' sliding hugs" at the park, and so on. Each spread features the number word in lower-case letters, the numeral, and countable heart shapes. Katz's trademark round-headed characters are cheerful and exude warmth. The sunny pictures capture familiar activities, and a playful puppy is part of the scene. The collage, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations have polka-dot and floral patterns that add visual interest. This book is great for interactive baby storytimes.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS. Counting and hugging go arm in arm in this book full of baby love. One nuzzle-wuzzle wake-up hug shows Mom burying her face in the baby's pajama-clad body, while on the next page, Baby get a yummy hug as Mommy feeds her. She gets a who made this mess laughing hug after she has unrolled the toilet paper. Katz gets up close and personal in her illustrations, which always focus on the round-faced mother and baby. The colors are so bright, the shapes so simple, and the patterning so sweet that toddlers, the logical audience, will keep a close eye on the turning pages. And, of course, it would be hard for a mommy to read this without giving up a hug or two. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2006 Booklist

One nuzzle-wuzzle wake-up hug / two 'Choo-choo! Open wide!' yummy hugs."" After ten syrup-drizzled hugs, Mommy's child is spared: it's bedtime. As always, Katz's flat art in confectionery colors offers much to look at, but strangely, her sappy text describes a ""baby"" (""six 'You said Mama!' first-word hugs"") while her art shows the baby sleeping in a big-kid bed. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.