ME BABY!

Bearing gifts, the aunts and uncles arrive and are greeted with open arms by toddler Danny. ``Me baby,'' Danny keeps saying, as one relative after another kisses him or gives him a pat and then quickly moves on to the business at hand: fixing a celebratory meal and greeting Danny's mother and his new sister. Danny is persistent, tugging at skirts as everyone gets to hold the baby. At last, he screams, and his parents finally notice and understand: Danny wants to hold the baby, too—and so he does. Hafner's expressive illustrations are just right: the joyful bustle, the adults' obliviousness to Danny's real concern, the body language of the inarticulate little boy—all are lightly but affectionately satirized. A disarming slice of life. (Picture book. 2-6)