Help, I Don’t Want a Babysitter!

The prospect of having a babysitter for the first time sparks a vivid bit of fantasizing in this reassuring tale. When Ollie’s parents announce that they are taking an evening out, Ollie seems fine with it, but his favorite blue “cuddle buddy” (and emotional proxy), Stubbs, is a bundle of worry, imagining a series of worst-case scenarios as the boy sleeps: “What if the babysitter is a strict old aunt who only cooks yucky green vegetables? What if she makes Ollie and Stubbs eat it all up?” Any fears are put to rest when the real babysitter, “a smiley girl named Ella,” shows up, armed with a love of games, a recipe for “Swashbucklers’ spaghetti with bloodred tomato sauce,” and a story “that can only be read in a fort.” Wagner and Behl use humorous detail to depict all manner of imaginary babysitting horrors—from a roughhousing muscle man to a “wicked witch with an evil cackle.” Pencil-like shading brings depth to Bell’s digital images, which feature a spry sense of movement and a bold palette. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)