(4) PS Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr. "When do you love me most of all?" a raccoon asks his mother. After guessing likely times of the day, the mother answers that she always loves him most "right now." This is neither a distinguished nor an original addition to the growing number of books about how much mothers love their babies. Still, Schoenherr's illustrations capture the warmth and coziness of the relationship.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS Illustrated by Kristina Stephenson. The narrator's grandmother tells her about the eager anticipation of the young girl's birth: her dad wrote a song for her, a great-uncle kept phoning from out of state, etc. Though the story is anticlimactic, both the text and the lively images capture the excitement of awaiting a baby's arrival.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by Daniel Kirk. This introduction to animal communication radiates warmth and affection. The questions and answers about each animal have the right tone and timing--"Do zebras who meet on the plain say hello? Oh, yes"--inviting participation. The wild animals in the oil portraits are slightly more rounded and human in expression than in real life, making the final picture of a boy and mom among the animal pairs seem perfectly natural.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2002