cover image Happy Baby

Happy Baby

Angie Sage, Chris Sage. Dial Books, $5.95 (10pp) ISBN 978-0-8037-0883-9

Two babies, one happy and the other sleepy, are the appealing subjects of these 12-page board books in Dial's Very First Books series. Each page presents a single sentence (``I play with my toes''; ``I sleep in my carriage''), beneath a round-headed baby drawn in a simple, childlike style. The pictures' luminous yellows, blues, pinks and purples and the first-person narrative technique are sure to draw children in. There is a welcome dose of humor on each book's last page: the happy baby gives a wail, deciding he/she is ``not that happy'' after all; and the sleepy baby is suddenly standing in the crib, wide-eyed and obviously ``not that sleepy.'' Little ones are likely to demand ``More!'' after having these books read to them, and more are on the way-- Big Baby and Hungry Baby will follow. Ages 1-4. (Sept.)