A book to share, rather than simply read aloud.

When I talk about To the Little One I Love, one of the things I always mention is that it’s an interactive book.

The story came from the way my mother put us to bed. She repeated the same little gestures every night, and I remembered them years later when I had children of my own.

I think every parent does something similar. There are little routines that become part of putting a child to bed, whether it’s pulling up the covers, giving a kiss, or squeezing little toes.

That’s what I wanted to bring into this book.

To the Little One I Love is written for very young children, but it’s also for the person reading to them. The words invite the reader to take part in the story with the baby, making it a shared experience.

I’ve always imagined it as a book for new parents. I would love to see it given at baby showers and become one of the first books a family reads with a new little one.

For me, it’s a lullaby for parents, inspired by the one my mother gave us without ever singing a note.