Busy My Busy

These perky board books are among the first in the MOPS Kids line, bearing the imprimatur of MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers). They augur well for the series, combining handsomely deployed board-book conventions with religious messages. There are messages for adult readers, too: the books include an inspirational ""Mom's Moment"" (too bad the line is pitched as mother-to-mother instead of parent-to-parent). In My Busy, Busy Day, color photos feature cheerful toddlers, each cavorting solo against a double-page spread. Offering the high contrast believed to stimulate very young toddlers, one page has a bright color background and the facing page is white. Text is handwritten and playfully set, mimicking the described action (e.g., ""stretching"" has exaggerated letter spacing), and the action wraps up as a toddler kneels in bedtime prayer. For Little Jesus, Little Me, sweet cartoon illustrations pair views of a toddler Jesus and a contemporary toddler, both in similar poses and attitudes: ""Jesus loved to be held close and rocked to sleep/ just like me"" accompanies pictures of both children as babies with daddies. The delivery is simple, to the point and effective. Ages up to 2. (Feb.)