BABY SAYS
edited by ALC Staff & by John Steptoe
From this year's Caldecott Honor winner: a warm, loving book for babies and toddlers about the interaction between a baby in a playpen and his older brother, who is playing with blocks. When baby throws his bear out, brother says "No, no," but soon recognizes baby's wish to join him outside; and when the blocks are inevitably knocked down ("Uh, oh. No, no," says baby), he's forgiven and shown how to begin building. The vocabulary and events here are well within the year-old range; the precisely outlined, softly colored, impeccably simple illustrations convey the nuances of the boys' emotions with perfect clarity. A wonderful vignette; a treasure to share.