Love and the Rocking Chair by Leo Dillon (review)

In this picture book begun years ago by the noted author/illustrator pairing and recently finished by Diane Dillon after her husband's death, a young couple brings home a rocking chair. That's where they rock and read to their baby, but then the boy grows up and moves away, and his father dies. Then he comes back to his family home, bringing his wife, and their baby is rocked in the same rocking chair by loving parents and grandmother. The point of view and abstraction make the appeal somewhat adult, but this is a quietly told story of intergenerational family love and strength. The art, inspired by twentieth-century artist Milton Avery, employs flat, muted planes of color, a style that's a change of pace from the Dillons' usual ornate decoration (though there's some kinship to Rap a Tap Tap, with art influenced by Aaron Douglas) and that also has a more mature level of appeal. However, the affectionate mixed-race family and homey details bring a cozy warmth. This could be a prompt for sharing intergenerational stories or just a lap and a readaloud with loving family.