cover image BABIES

BABIES

Ros Asquith, Ellen Weiss, , illus. by Sam Williams. . S&S, $12.95 (24pp) ISBN 978-0-689-85501-6

Here surveying babydom, the pair previously teamed for Ball and My Do It! find adorable differences and similarities among their multicultural, dumpling-face population: "There are big babies/ and little babies,/ do-lots and/ do-little babies,/.../ wobbly babies, nibbly babies,/ and all babies are/ dribbly babies." Williams's (Let's Do That Again!, Children's Forecasts, Nov. 25) babies share the same moonface and sparse hair, but he combines their dot eyes and tiny mouths into a host of individual combinations, and every watercolor portrait will elicit giggles of recognition from very young readers—whether an infant indignantly shakes a rattle at a sand-toy-doll (demonstrating an "I'll show you who's boss" baby), or a tyke sits proudly in the midst of a big mess, a pair of pants perched jauntily on his head (for "babies who like muddles"). Of course, it's the baby being read to that is Numero Uno—and in case there's any doubt who that is, a mirror is encased in the inside back cover. Ages 1-4. (Mar.)