cover image Babies

Babies

Rachel Isadora. Greenwillow Books, $13.95 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-688-08031-0

In this engaging pair of toddler books, Isadora has provided a compendium of simple words and activities that will delight as they teach. Babies begins, appropriately, with a pajama-clad youngster waving ``Good morning!'' with one hand as the other clutches a teddy bear by one ear. A brief synopsis of a day's routine follows, featuring eating, playing, bathing, drying--and, finally, sleeping. Friends interact with brio, as youngsters are seen visiting, drawing, laughing and sharing. Parents will applaud the values that are emphasized in both books: reading and hugging, as a girl clasps her bear in the first book, while two friends embrace in the second. The books are positive and upbeat--thanks, in part, to the youngsters' bright, cheery faces. The design is refreshingly simple: the words are in large, clear type, and the spreads contain abundant white space. Isadora adds allure to this winning (albeit pricey) set by depicting multiracial children. Ages 2-up. (Mar.)