(4) PS Illustrated by Amy Bates. "Rock-a-bye, little one, / Bedtime is soon." A mother lovingly puts her little daughter to bed, reading stories, playing the guitar, and bidding good night to familiar objects in the cozy room--curtains, dollies, framed pictures on the wall, etc. Sweet pencil and watercolor illustrations depict a folksy, farmlike setting for the commonplace bedtime story told in simple, lulling rhymes.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Bates. A haphazard chain of events takes a beloved teddy bear from stroller to beach to ocean and so forth, then back into the arms of its young owner. Gorgeous textured watercolor and pencil spreads show portraits of each new "finder" opposite that character's encounter with the bear. The rhythmic, rhyming text keeps the story sailing along to a satisfying and snuggly ending.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) PS Illustrated by David Walker. Bright and expressive illustrations accompany a simple rhyming text that portrays playful kittens throughout the course of a typical day. Large pages showcase a litter of kittens nesting, leaping, snuggling, climbing, chasing, growling, and purring on their way to becoming adult cats. Cat fanciers will be charmed.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) PS Illustrated by David Walker. "Tumbling, wrestling, racing puppies, / Tugging, chewing, chasing puppies." Meyers's rhyming text describes how wonderfully chaotic and vivacious life is with puppies underfoot, but the attractive, oversize paintings do little to extend the text.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by Marla Frazee. This board book edition contains the entire text and all the art from the original picture book. Though much reduced in size, the illustrations--finely detailed, amusing, and animated, with lots of white space around them--still manage to be appealing. While the book's best audience is too old for board books, caregivers may appreciate having a smaller, cheaper version around.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(1) PS Illustrated by Marla Frazee. Cheerful rhythmic verse captions sunny portraits and vignettes celebrating babies in all their multiplicity. Babies are kissed, fed, or rocked in a wealth of domestic scenes whose affectionate good humor and adroit evocation of the universals of child care call to mind the vivid social commentaries of Shirley Hughes. Warm, funny, generous, this is a book that belongs in every library, and every lap.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2001