Henry Wants More!

“More!” and “Again!” are demands all too familiar to parents and siblings of toddlers, and the child Ashman (Little Baby Buttercup) and Hughes (Baby Love) spotlight has a particular fondness for both words. To keep Henry entertained, everyone in his biracial family—including his patient grandmother and two older siblings—pitches in. Ashman’s lighthearted verse accompanies charming pictures of the clan accommodating Henry’s requests, and page turns complete the rhymes with repeated requests for “more” and “again.” Hughes’s homey, affectionate illustrations call to mind Janet Ahlberg’s endearing art for the Jolly Postman books. An entertainingly busy spread offers a dollhouse-like cutaway view of Henry’s home, showing obliging family members humoring him in each room. As bedtime approaches, after pulling a stack of books from the shelf, Henry finally winds down, snuggled in his mother’s lap: “Mama says, ‘I’ll read you two.’/ But now she’s up to four./ Her eyes are getting bleary,/ then she hears a tiny snore.” Exhausted families will easily recognize themselves in this knowing, good-humored tribute to the tirelessness of young children. Ages 3–7. [em]Author’s agent: Jennifer Mattson, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Jan.) [/em]