Txting Mamas Txting Babies — Esther Hershenhorn

Without a sliver of doubt, language and literacy are to be revered by book lovers both young and old. But alas, the technology age is firmly upon us all -- both young and old. Nearly 85% of American adults own cell phones and most of them send and receive text messages. Communication that began as text message acronyms, OMG and LOL, for example, have become commonplace on our screens for sure, but they've also worked their way into our language. In fact OMG (oh my god) and LOL (laughing out loud) are formally recognized in the Oxford English Dictionary! "Txting Mama Txting Baby" embraces this “newfangled” form of communication, most often referred to as “txtng.” After all, everyone seems to be doing it. No matter how the message is delivered, a loving, affirming relationship between Baby and Mama should be expressed. The text messages “O U QT” (Oh you, cutie) and “I <3 U” (I love you) begin this board book accompanied by smiling, colorful emoticons representing the feelings of Mama and Baby alike. The book and Baby's day come to an end with encouragement to sleep peacefully “U zzzzzz.”