(4) PS Illustrated by Jay Fleck. Doting parental voices rejoice over a new baby: "You're everything LITTLE, / wee sock and wee shoe, / You're everything PLAYFUL, / our peek-a-boo you." Adults are the best audience for the sappy verses of this baby-shower book. Nevertheless, it's easy on the eyes, with uncluttered graphic illustrations of adorable animal families rendered in simplified shapes and bold swaths of color.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Illustrated by Patrice Barton. Happy, curious toddlers of different races revel in the wonder of the natural world as they experience little creatures, a willow tree, buttercups, etc. The warm artwork (pencil sketches painted digitally), the skillful use of white space, and thoughtful placement of the gentle rhyming couplets all result in a visually inviting book that would make a great addition to toddler storytime.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) PS Illustrated by Patrice Barton. "Tired little knees, / crawling to and from, / Tired little tummy, / full of yum, yum, yum." This book follows a familiar premise of naming body parts in treacly rhymes as a baby gets ready to go to sleep. Barton's pencil and mixed-media illustrations with whisper-soft digital coloring are calming and laudably diverse in terms of race and kinds of families.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth