It's beautifully written; the sentence structure and word choices evoke feelings that are only extended by the wonderful illustrations. I also appreciate the imaginative story, something many childrens books seem to lack. I'm not sure how much of this is due to Octavio Paz and how much due to Cathering Cowan but I admire the work they've done together.
Although the stories are nothing alike, another book that I put in this category is "All the Places to Love" by Patricia Maclachlan/Michael Wimmer. 
This is a simple story of a family and place; something very familiar to everyone. It was given to us by our neighbors at one of Sam's many baby showers (we were given three!) and the first time I read it to Sam I was still in the postpartum emotional haze and it made me cry because it was so sweet.* The illustrations are rich and detailed.
*I've never been overly emotional so this surprised me greatly. The stranger thing is that even now, I find that I'm much more emotional and sentimental than I was prior to having Sam. Does giving birth change your brain chemistry?
2 comments:
If you think you'd pull them out again--or give them to Sam as an adult for his kids, then it might make sense to keep them.
If not, maybe create a journal of some kind--not unlike what you've done here. Put in the cover and maybe a particularly good illustration from inside, and then write about what you liked about the book. That would let you and Sam talk about it in the future, and it would allow him to find it if he ever wanted to in the future.
Save the books that you like. I have kept a box of books from when my kids were young that i especially like, and sometimes i put them out on the coffee table.
My baby turns 18 tomorrow, and i find that is bringing up a lot of emotions...where did the time go, what am i going to do next year....
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