EASTER BABIES

“When signs of spring are in the air, / we look for babies everywhere!” With that opening the text proceeds to count up from one newborn foal and two brooding hens through five nestlings, eight piglets and ten ducklings through 12 Easter bells, which “are ringing ... / ... to celebrate the signs that spring / has brought new life to everything.” Within the opening and concluding verses, the abcb rhyme scheme devotes a terminal rhyme to each counted item; the scansion sometimes labors to maintain this pattern. Andreasen’s soft-focus paintings deliver almost uniformly adorable animals—even the scrawny just-hatched robins appear to be smiling. At 8.5” x 8.5”, it will just fit into an oversized basket; make sure the kiddos brush their teeth after reading it. (Picture book. 2-5)