In "Babies Babies Babies" by Tessa Dahl, a new sibling is on the way and big brother Sam and big sister Sophie want to know all about it: how children are conceived, how they are born, what they will eat, how they will sleep - and especially how their parents will care for them.
Their mother gently answers their questions by comparing human babies to babies of different species - ranging from birds to crocodiles to elephants. (Mother crocodiles carry their babies in their mouths, and mother pigs push their piglets with their snouts to cuddle them up close.)"Babies Babies Babies" is a delightful book for the 2- to 6-year-old who is about to have a sibling enter his or her life. The 32-page book is filled with illustrations by Siobhan Dodd.
Dahl's book is among a selection of new books about babies and for babies. Some other titles are: "Me Baby!" by Riki Levinson (Dutton, $13.95), a gentle story of sibling rivalry; and "Don't Wake the Baby" by Jonathan Franklin (Farrar, Straus Giroux, $13.95), which vividly illustrates an older child's nocturnal visit to the baby's room. - Carol Deegan