Baby and Me

Baby dolls have been popular for more than a century, and Dodd’s young narrator, first seen tottering in her mother’s red heels while pushing a baby carriage, walks readers through the care and keeping of her own doll. Readers can take part in the fun, helping feed the doll (a tab makes her bottle appear to drain of milk), change her diaper (a tangle of cloth strips), and rock her to sleep (“And when it’s bedtime, I say, ‘Night-night. Sleep tight, sweetie’ ”). Doll-lovers should find the interactive touches entirely satisfying, and the surprise ending demonstrates that the girl’s caretaking instincts and enthusiasm extend to a certain real-life baby, too. Ages 3–7. (Aug.)