Where's Baby?
(Baby Animals)

"Have you seen Baby, Mama Fox?" Thus begins a search (and a sly introduction to prepositions) that leads Papa Fox to search up in a tree, inside a log, over a hill, down a hole, under some water, and around the bend, encountering a number of un-foxlike creatures, some of them more polite than others. ( "I am not your baby. Go away!" answers a grumpy skunk, and an affable ox responds, "I am not your baby. I'm Davy!") Hunter's simple but lively pen and colored pencil drawings allow the deadpan humor to ring out--all the characters, save one, are rendered in scratchy black and white atop a delicate blue sky, and the entire dialogue is delivered via hand-lettered speech bubbles. A small orange character hides just out of the searching animal's sight throughout the spreads until Papa Fox checks an obvious spot at Mama's behest--attentive readers will spot early on that Mama Fox is in on the game. The dramatic irony paired with Papa's earnest calls of "Ba-by!" make this a winner for interactive reading, and Baby's final request, "Can we do that again?" will ensure this fun and gently instructive story is repeated. Ages 3-7. (Jan.)

PreS-K--Papa Fox is searching for Baby in this simple, unassuming concept book about prepositions. Papa Fox looks up in a tree, inside a log, down a hole, and a plethora of other locations, but only finds other animals who are not his child. Meanwhile, hiding in the illustrations, Baby is clearly visible and follows Papa Fox as he searches. Finally, he returns to Mama Fox, declaring he cannot find Baby, until Mama Fox points out Baby has been hiding behind him all along. Papa Fox and his little one embrace, with Baby hoping they can go searching through the woods to meet different animals again. The artwork, which was rendered in ballpoint pen and colored pencil, is featured on expansive two-page spreads. The colors are muted and soft, adding to the quiet tone of the story. Young readers will enjoy spotting Baby in the illustrations, making this a fun read-aloud during group sharing. Although designed to teach children about prepositions, this element is never obtrusive or detracting to the storytelling. VERDICT A delightful picture book to teach children about prepositions in a subtle, charming way. Recommended.--Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY