Baicker's first book bursts with the endless exuberance of toddlerhood, from wake-up ("I am awake!/ I'm awake all the way./ Waked up to stay up/ and wake up the day!") to snuggle-down. Invitingly designed—thanks to Williams's (Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck) ingenuity—to resemble a play in three acts, the volume opens with stage curtains parted to reveal a bombardment of babies, bear cubs, bunnies and balls in stripes, stars and nursery colors, indicating wake-up and playtime. A stage brimming with dancing cups, a bowl filled with babies of all skin tones and giant flying spoons starts the mealtime-themed second act; and winged cherubs and infants tucked into pea pods help the audience wind down. Williams begins with the image of a toddler waking his or her human mother and ends with a human mother nestling her child at bedtime, but the intervening pages picture babies gallivanting with bears and bunnies. A classic game to get baby to eat, for instance, becomes fodder for a wild fantasy: "Toot toot!/ Choo-choo/ Coming down/ the track,/ Pretzel, cracker/ tummy packer/ bringing me my snack" accompanies an animated freight train as it delivers fruits and other goodies. Baicker's joyful wordplay combined with Williams's imaginative spreads ensure that toddlers will plead for repeat performances. Ages 1-4. (Oct.)
