Billy and the Baby

Convinced that the impending arrival of a new baby is going to traumatize their son, Billy's parents bend over backwards to include him in the preparations. Billy patiently humors them by sitting with his dad while he gushes over Billy's old baby pictures, sorting through tiny items of clothing with his mom, accompanying them both to the hospital to check out where the baby will arrive. Billy may appear blase, but all the while he's very much in control of the situation and in fact is busily planning a surprise for his new sibling. In one of the less saccharine and more commonsense picture books about the art of adjusting to a new sibling, Bradman's story is told with a fine dry wit, and bolstered by Lewis's bright, waggish watercolors. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)