I LOVE...

A Valentine for all ages, all year round, this lovely volume encases poetic prose and accomplished artwork in a small (5 ½" x 6 7/8") softcover shell. French writer Minne furnishes a distinctive array of the delights of girlhood, some just a sentence, others nearly a page. Each passage begins with "I love...," opposite a small painting by Fortier, framed in white—often a full page, other times stamp-size. The experiences captured range from the homely ("I love the smell of my soft, old bunny. He smells like apples, licorice, soap, roses, Mama's perfume, soup, rice, toast, wax, wet dog, and especially, my warm, cozy bed in the middle of the night") to the exotic ("I love when we're collecting shells and you say, 'I'll be King of the Clams and you be Queen of the Scallops' "), the elegant ("I love it when Mama puts my hair in two braids and I look like an Indian princess") to the quotidian ("I love the sound of raindrops on my red umbrella"). Fortier's palette, delicate outlines and graceful use of pastel call to mind Toulouse-Lautrec's most intimate portraits. The artist draws Clementine and her family as soft, figures with slender limbs; at times, she leaves the outlines of the figures unfilled, and the backgrounds shine through them as if they are ghosts or memories. With wit and respect, Minne conveys much of what constitutes joy for children. Through the author and artist's slice-of-life moments, a complete picture emerges of a loving, fully realized family of four. All ages. (Feb.)