Our young narrator is beloved by his doting auntie. According to her, he’s “the most perfect nephew to ever be born,” and as we see him maturing from chubby-cheeked newborn to diapered and crawling toddler to sparkly-eyed little kid, their mutual affection just increases. Durr’s artwork deploys pastel negative space, bright contrasting neons, and zoomed-in shots of tender embraces to great effect, illustrating well the dramatic moment that reveals to readers and narrator alike that Auntie will soon be a mommy, too! A newborn baby girl flips the script as our protagonist’s mother remarks that she is the “most perfect and most beautiful niece to ever be born.” But it doesn’t take long for the momentarily grumpy big boy cousin to make eye contact with his swaddled baby girl cousin, which reminds him promptly of the room he has “for all this love.” Mommy and Auntie—siblings themselves—demonstrate how to make everyone feel included, just as the next generation grows together with love. McDaniel’s dialogue and narration are both chock-full of sweetness and verve. Characters present Black and vary in skin tone.
