cover image Bye-Bye Baby!

Bye-Bye Baby!

Richard Morris, illus. by Larry Day. Walker, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-80279-772-8

Felix, a preschooler, has a new baby sister and he isn't happy about it. "This isn't working out," he says, ready to push her bassinette out the door after a particularly rough night of baby crying. "I think we should take her back." A trip to the zoo presents Felix with a number of intriguing possibilities for restoring order (like feeding the baby to the hippo), but a change of heart dawns when his sister unexpectedly comforts him after a meltdown. Although the premise doesn't break any new ground, debuting author Morris has a pithy voice and a promising eye for emotional detail%E2%80%94his depiction of how a car drive home can disintegrate should ring true for kids and adults ("On the ride home Felix cried. And cried. And cried"). Day (Duel!) isn't the most graceful of draftsmen, but he does have an eye for those small but telling domestic moments, and he's particularly good at bringing the life Felix's unwavering affection for his beloved stuffed donkey Poncho. Ages 3%E2%80%946. (Sept.)