Happy Day!

A bounty of books usher in Mother's Day, Father's Day and celebrate families in general. "It's Mother's Day morning./ We tiptoe around./ Daddy makes coffee./ We don't make a sound" begins Mother's Day Ribbons by Michelle Knudsen, illus. by John Wallace, a board book with ribbons galore. Youngsters can touch velvet hair bows and ribbons that wrap Mommy's present. (Little Simon, $6.99 12p ages 1-5 ISBN 0-689-86381-0; Apr.)

Perfect for parent-child sharing, the paper-over-board Mama Loves You by Caroline Stutson, illus. by John Segal, demonstrates the affection that animal mothers shower upon their young. Delicate watercolors portray porcupines, hummingbirds and ladybugs—until, in a final spread, a human mother tells her baby under a nighttime sky, "You're my star,/ My moon, my sun./ Mama loves you,/ Little one." (Scholastic/Cartwheel, $6.99 32p ages 3-5 ISBN 0-439-57842-6; Apr.)

PW said of Anthony Browne's My Dad, "With well-measured doses of hyperbole, sentiment and humor, Browne delivers an endearing paean to patriarchs." In the companion, My Mom, Browne similarly salutes mothers. "My mom's a... brilliant juggler," reads one caption, as she literally "juggles" images of a purse, car, house and teddy bear. Dad's robe was plaid, Mom's is flowered, which nicely segues into an homage to her green thumb—and fingers. (FSG, $16 32p all ages ISBN 0-374-35098-1; May)

In an intergenerational tribute to matriarchs, What Grandmas Can't Do by Douglas Wood, illus. by Doug Cushman, joyfully enumerates all of the activities that require the help of a grandchild: baking "your favorite cookies," for instance, or telling stories (Grandmas "need a really good listener"). The first two books in this popular series are now available in mini-editions: What Moms Can't Do and What Dads Can't Do. (S&S, $14.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-689-84647-9; Moms $6.95 1-4169-0198-1; Dads $6.95 1-4169-0197-3; Apr.)

For Father's Day, Daddy Hugs 1 2 3 by Karen Katz joins the author/artist's titles for toddlers, including Daddy and Me. From "one 'I'm so glad you're my baby!' hug" to 10 " 'I love you!' good-night hugs," Daddy covers all the bases. Katz's signature patterns in polka-dots and plaids, and Crayola-bright colors will reassure little ones that they can count on Dad's affection. (S&S/McElderry, $12.95 32p ages 1-5 ISBN 0-689-87771-4; May)

Monkeys, elephants and whales all welcome their papas in the board book When Daddy Comes Home: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Lori Ann Grover. "When Daddy Dog runs home," begins the text, as a golden pooch leaps across the spread toward a red doghouse. A lift of the flap reveals his progeny and the text, "his puppy barks!" Thick black lines and solid swathes of color make this a joyful celebration for parent and child. (Little Simon, $5.99 ages 1-4 ISBN 0-689-87471-5; May)

A companion to Mother's Day, Father's Day by Anne Rockwell, illus. by Lizzy Rockwell, centers on a classroom of children who are "making books about our dads." From universal observations (e.g., "I'm as tall as the sky/ when I'm up on his shoulders") and memories to one child's quandary about which father to write about (one lives in Texas, the other lives with her and her mother), the text and illustrations show families of diverse cultures and model how to make the finished book for Dad. (HarperCollins, $14.99 40p ages 3-6 ISBN 0-06-051377-2; May)

Slightly older children can invite their fathers to share Dad and Me: A Special Book for You and Your Dad to Fill in Together and Share with Each Other by Diane Barbara and Serge Bloch. Quizzes designed to find out more about how Dad took to parenting, plus spots for photos, sidebars on divorce and unemployment touch on more delicate matters. (Abrams, $16.95 56p ages 5-10 ISBN 0-8109-5881-3; May)

The piglet siblings from Mama Loves return, in Grandpa Loves by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illus. by Kathryn Brown. As with the first book, the piglet narrating varies with each vignette, as one grandchild backpacks with Grandpa, others join in "drumming and strumming" a happy tune on the porch. Together they sing the praises of their grandfather. (HarperCollins, $15.99 32p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-06-029405-1; May)

Mothers, fathers and grandparents alike can partake of Families Have Together by Harriet Ziefert, illus. by Deborah Zemke, which explores all the things that various family members do. Zemke's artwork visually links the individual images; even with more general themes, such as "Leaves have rakes./ Birthdays have cakes," she still pictures the clan's togetherness. (Handprint [Chronicle, dist.], $15.95 40p ages 5-9 ISBN 1-59354-071-X; Apr.)

True Companions

Favorite authors and characters return for more entertainment. Douglas Florian kicks off poetry month with another collection of 21 wry poems and paintings, zoo's who. The opening "The Lizards" sets the tone: "Lizards laze/ And lizards bask./ What's their favorite food?/ Don't ask!" accompanied by one of the artist's signature collages as the green, scaly subject laps up everything in sight. (Harcourt, $17 56p ages 5-10 ISBN 0-15-204639-9; Apr.)

Readers learn more through verse with Brainjuice: English Fresh Squeezed!, the third title by Carol Diggory Shields, illus. by Tony Ross. The 40 poems here are not only clever, they double as mnemonic devices (as with "Living and Breathing": "Adjectives can be short and fat,/ Warm and cuddly as Grandma's cat"). Quotes from esteemed writers flash across the spreads in a band of blue, and charming pen-and-inks dot the pages. (Handprint [Chronicle, dist.], $14.95 64p ages 7-11 ISBN 1-59354-053-1; Apr.)

After "finding magic in the mundane" (according to PW) in his debut book, Stanley Goes for a Drive, Craig Frazier similarly uncovers the enchantment to be found in simple blades of grass in Stanley Mows the Lawn. The farmer, while pushing his mower, discovers a snake who prefers the grass long, and they reach a compromise, revealed in the graphically sophisticated yet deceptively spare compositions. (Chronicle, $15.95 40p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8118-4846-9; Apr.)

A popular character returns in Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse by Judy Schachner. Here the Siamese "kitty boy" that transforms into El Skippito Friskito, a Chihuahua, for his superhero antics, drives out the menacing Bobble-ito from his canine buddies' doghouse. (Dutton, $16.99 32p ages 4-up ISBN 0-525-47297-5; Apr.)

Chickerella by Mary Jane Auch (who, PW said, "earns a feather in her cap for her deadpan presentation of absurdity and triumph" for Bantam of the Opera), illus. by Mary Jane and Herm Auch, stars the titular white feathered bird. When her widower father marries a gaudy black-feathered fowl, the hen sends Chickerella's father "off on a wild goose chase," redecorates the coop and locks the heroine in the springhouse nightly. Photographs of the 3-D Fairy Goosemother, the Fowl Ball and the glass egg clue are worth the price of admission. (Holiday, $16.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-8234-1804-9; Apr.)

The long-eared cast of Lunch Bunnies are back for Tumble Bunnies by Kathryn Lasky, illus. by Marylin Hafner, in which Clyde fears he won't be picked to participate in the "Sports Spectacular," until Rosemary convinces him to enter the tumbling event. (Candlewick, $15.99 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 0-7636-2265-6; Apr.)

Fresh from their adventures in the Big City, the muffin-thieving polar bears, restricted to their new home behind bars in a zoo in Bayonne, N.J., meet their match in Bad Bears and a Bunny: An Irving and Muktuk Story by Daniel Pinkwater, illus. by Jill Pinkwater. A third polar bear who works at the zoo introduces the duo to his friend, a rabbit, and they don't exactly hit it off. (Houghton, $16 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-618-33926-4; Apr.)

And speaking of zoos... in the fifth book of the series, Fred Ehrlich explains why You Can't See a Dodo at the Zoo, illus. by Amanda Haley. In addition to the Dodo (covered in the "Extinct Birds" chapter), Ehrlich covers dinosaurs, plus extinct mammals such as woolly mammoths, before discussing endangered animals, for whom there is still time to help (manatees, whooping cranes, etc.).

Haley's pen-and-ink and watercolor wash illustrations add just the right note of humor without detracting from the seriousness of the book's message. (Blue Apple [Chronicle, dist.], $15.95 40p ages 5-10 ISBN 1-59354-072-8; Apr.) Gris Grimly aficionados will welcome Little Jordan Ray's Muddy Spud, with signature characters that could only come from the artist's pen: a peasant "who was missing his legs and most of his teeth," a troll who lives in "his hole by the coast [and] begin[s] his lunch with a customary toast." The title hero encounters these folks and more as he embarks on a quest of sorts. (Baby Tattoo [SCB, dist.], $19.95 40p ages 8-up ISBN 0-9729388-6-9; Apr.)