Eh. It's a cute book but not one I see a need for in my future classroom. It shows mommy animals kissing their babies in a variety of different ways. The best thing about the book is that is uses rhyming (for which I am a huge fan). ( )

book talks about different animals loving their babies and showing how to they express their love ("kissing your ten toes").
1 book

This is a story about the different kisses that a mother gives their child. It features animals and people.
Source: Barnes and Noble

Not one of my favorites for baby storytime, but a solid second tier choice. The text is pretty good; it's a rhyming list of all the different and fun places to kiss a baby and it lends itself well to interaction (One of my main criteria for a good baby storytime book). There's nothing particularly special about the word choice, but the scansion and rhyme scheme aren't at all forced which is a feat unto itself and harder to do than it might seem. The illustrations are where this falls apart a little for me. Susan Winter illustrates using what look like colored pencil and watercolors to me. Her animals are better than her people and make up the majority of the book, but unfortunately the cover is just people. The animals still look somewhat awkward, I think because animals don't naturally kiss each other the way humans do and thus the poses they're in aren't natural. Also the mother/baby characters don't seem to actually touch in the illustrations, they just overlap at the appropriate location. The illustrations are all full-bleed, double-page spreads with soft lines and muted colors. The baby polar bear is particularly cute. Even with these caveats, I would use this for baby storytime again since I struggle to find titles I feel are appropriate for the babies in a group.

Used for Baby Storytime 2/3/2012. ( )

There are so many ways to show your child that you love him or her unconditionally. One way mothers often show their love is by kissing their children. Mothers know their children very well, and by kissing them often throughout the day, that shows that child how much they mean to their mother. "Mommy's Best Kisses" is a great bedtime story to read to a child because it is reassuring and has meaning to both the child and the mother. It also rhymes which is appealing to both the child and the mother. It could end the day (or night) with a positive endnote because the child is thinking about how much he or she is loved by their mother. ( )