YUM YUM, BABY BUNDT

As the subtitle suggests, this toddler book takes the form of cooking instructions, from an introductory spread of ingredients (“1 hungry Baby Bundt / 1 bib, washable,” etc.) to the narrative itself (“Spread the sauce all around. / Slurp up every bit”). The clean, retro-style illustrations depict a Kewpie-like Baby Bundt and his older sister, who helps to orchestrate the fun. The terse text leaves room for visual irony—“Set aside for lunch” depicts a smiling baby whose high chair is surrounded by jettisoned toys—making it less a book for babies themselves than one to be shared with babies and older siblings at the same time. Its companion, Blast Off, Baby Bundt: A Recipe for Playtime (ISBN: 978-0-7636-3777-4), takes the same format. (12 mos.-4)