Who Loves Me?

A raccoon family stars in this tenderhearted companion to Ben Loves Bear, Bella Loves Bunny, and other board books. As Walter and his mother put together a blueberry pie, he asks her variations on the title’s question. Mama supplies several answers—Walter’s father loves him, as do his grandparents, pets, and friends—but there’s someone she isn’t mentioning. “There just has to be someone else who loves me!” Walter insists. McPhail’s paintings hum with subdued familial warmth, young readers will readily recognize who Mama has “forgotten,” and human mothers will appreciate the gentle game she’s playing and the way that she (like so many moms) puts herself last. Up to age 3. Agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Dec.)