cover image Busy Busy!

Busy Busy!

Lucy Scott. Creston (PGW, dist.), $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-939547-25-5

In Doodle Diary of a New Mom, Scott documented some of parenthood’s more challenging moments, from breast-feeding in graffiti-filled bathroom stalls to date nights that involve passing out on the sofa. In her first children’s book, she shows why all that effort is worth it. Parents are nowhere in sight as a toddler with floppy brown hair, peach skin, and gray overalls recounts her “busy busy day” in narration that gives a strong sense of the largeness of the girl’s imaginative world. “I built a city!” she announces as her stuffed animals perch on tall towers of blocks. “I cooked lunch for ten!” she says while she stirs pots in her play kitchen before a crowd of plush toys. The artwork is lovely from start to finish; Scott’s illustrations have a delicacy and precision reminiscent of Helen Oxenbury’s work. Telling, true-to-life details, such as the row of pillows serving as a path across “a river full of crocodiles” and the cat retreating from the cacophony of the child’s one-girl band, will resonate with children and parents alike. Ages 3–5. [em]Agent: Isabel Atherton, Creative Authors. (May) [/em]