cover image I'll Be There

I'll Be There

Ann Stott, illus. by Matt Phelan. Candlewick, $14.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7636-4711-7

Stott and Phelan deliver a generous dose of comfort in this tender companion to Always (2008). "Did you push me in a carriage when I was a baby?" a boy asks while walking with his mother, prompting her to describe all the ways she once cared for him. But now that he doesn't need her to read him a bedtime story or pick out clothes (although his chosen outfit of a Santa hat, boxer shorts, and webbed flippers might suggest otherwise), will Mom still be there to help? Kids know the answer to that question, but they'll be glad for the confirmation anyway. Ages 3%E2%80%937. (Mar.)