Baby Animals Take a Bath

Arnold and Tildes showcase eight young animals getting clean in distinctive ways. The text is limited to punchy, two-word phrases (“Snow bath/ Sun Bath/ Steam bath/ Puddle Bath”), and the animals are identified on the back cover. Framed in wavy-edged black borders, Tildes’s animal portraits reflect the animals’ naturalistic behaviors—a zebra foal lolls in the dust, an elephant calf sprays itself with its trunk—while still ensuring they look as adorable as possible. A closing scene featuring a human baby mid-bath cements the connection between the way we get clean and the ways animals do. Up to age 3. Author’s agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. (Feb.)