A girl debunks myths about babies in Hanson's (Snug) humorous primer for siblings. Early on, Tilley's (Riddle-Lightful) springy watercolors present mother and daughter admiring the seemingly innocuous infant ("Mom says babies are as sweet as cookies"). Next, an illustration shows the baby knocking over a glass of milk as the sister nervously grips the high chair ("But I learned that you cannot dip them in milk"). When the mother cradles the baby in her arms, exclaiming, "Babies are as cuddly as puppies"), the child responds, "They drool more." The pattern continues, but midway through the book the illustrations begin to change tone. After mom opines that babies are as playful as tiger cubs, Tilley pictures the narrator caught in the act of painting tiger patterns on the baby's soles—but it's clear she and the baby have been having fun. Grins replace the grimaces, and everyone beams in the family portrait that appears in the end: "I'm just glad I'm here to help take care of our baby," says the child. "She shouldn't grow up thinking she's a cookie." Ages 3-7. (May)
