Teresa Toten’s first picture book, Bright Red Kisses, takes an ordinary occurrence in a young child’s life – mom going out for the evening – and turns it into something extraordinary and magical.

A little girl senses excitement in the air watching her mother rush around the house. Her curiosity is piqued until she realizes her mother’s going out. Just as the girl’s about to panic, her mother reminds her how much she needs her help to get ready. And help mommy she does. She prepares a marvellously messy full-body beauty potion, followed by a luxurious bubble bath. Next, a fancy party dress and shoes have to be carefully selected and then, most important, just the right shade of lipstick. When she’s finished and has created a shimmering vision of loveliness, the best, and worst, moment of all comes – when mommy’s ready to go. Soothing hugs and a forehead covered with bright red lipstick kisses provide all the love and reassurance that this little girl needs.

What makes this sweet picture book sing is Toten’s lovely use of language. She narrates her simple story with wonderfully playful rhymes that pick the prose up and make it leap and twirl just like the fancy party dresses in the back of the closet. Little poetic metaphors such as the opening phrase (“The air is full of tickles”) set the tone and beautifully mirror the excitement of the evening.

The book wouldn’t be half as captivating, though, were it not for Deirdre Betteridge’s truly effervescent illustrations. From the endpapers full of lipstick kisses and the array of footware (including a lone running shoe) to the wonderful medley of red lipsticks (from Very Cherry to My Red), she makes Toten’s story real. It’s in the illustrations that we sense the tears and fears that lurk behind the excitement. Finally, Betteridge shows the returned mom looking in at the end of the night on her sleeping children. Playfully whimsical but also deeply reassuring, Bright Red Kisses is sure to be a hit with younger readers.