cover image The Mommy Exchange

The Mommy Exchange

Amy Hest, Hest. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, $13.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-02-743650-1

A sweet, funny look at the world of young children begins because friends Jessica and Jason are dissatisfied with their homes and families. At Jessica's they have spaghetti once a week, and it's green and curly so her twin-toddler siblings (noisy pests!) can eat it easily. Jason, on the other hand, complains that it's too neat, too quiet and downright boring at his house. One day the two decide to move into each other's home for the weekend. After a single night, Jessica and Jason discover that their respective families aren't really so bad after all. Hest (The Purple Coat) has wonderfully captured the humor of a preschooler's day. DiSalvo-Ryan's soft pencil and watercolor illustrations perfectly match the text, capturing the mood and tone of the story with wry wit. Ages 4-7. (March)