THE WRIGGLY, WRIGGLY BABY

A wriggly baby manages to wriggle right past his parents and into the middle of an exciting rhyming adventure. “He slithered down the banister; he inched across the floor, / waved good-bye to the parrot . . . and skittered out the door.” Lucky for the little one that the family dog and cat seem to be in all the right places, waiting with a fluffy pillow at the base of the stairs and following along as he skips down the sidewalk. He rolls past the firehouse and then takes a detour to swing in the park. The three decide to visit the zoo, dancing with the tigers and putting on a show for the elephants. A stop at Flo’s Diner finds them stuffing their mouths with all sorts of food, but even the cuisine will not stop this baby’s travels. Somehow the baby and his furry friends manage to stay one step ahead of his parents and his adventure continues. After visiting the circus and then taking a trip to the seashore to see the whales, the baby finally realizes that maybe he’s a little lonely and he wriggles home to find his very worried parents. A wink toward his co-conspirators makes it obvious that this is not the last adventure for this trio. Ink and acrylic illustrations accompany this fanciful story; the rosy-cheeked youngster and expressive animals will make it a favorite and the bouncy rhythm is sure to have readers wriggling with pleasure. (Picture book. 2-5)