Hayley Barrett

An insect baker makes delicious tiny treats for all her customers, supported by a kitchen staff of ladybugs. But when the ladybugs receive "an urgent call to swarm away" on a breeze, they go out the window - literally - leaving the tiny baker alone. Fortunately, her customers - mostly hardworking ants - come to her aid, and soon the kitchen is clean again. She offers eclairs as thanks, and is grateful for "friends - true friends - who care enough / To pitch right in when things get show more tough."

The rhyme is quite good, and the pictures of delectable desserts, and insects in their finery, are adorable; the illustrations were "prepared in alkyd oil paint on paper with crackling varnish," and the crackling effect makes it look like an old painting in a charming way.

I admit I'd like a teensy bit more information about why the ladybugs left so suddenly, but I like the message about friends helping friends in a crisis (and supporting your local tea shop!). show less

Coined by the late anthropologist Sheila Kitzinger, MBE, the term "babymoon" refers to the period just after a baby's birth, when the immediate family take the time to welcome the newcomer, and bond with him or her. Author Hayley Barrett celebrates one such babymoon in this delightful picture-book, her rhyming text working together with illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal's artwork to create a sense of peace, warmth and family love...

With a rhyming text just made to be read aloud - "The house is show more hushed. The lights are low. / We're basking in a newborn glow. / The not we post says See You Soon. / At last - we're on our babymoon" - and absolutely charming artwork, Babymoon would make a wonderful story-time selection, perhaps with a prospective older sibling, or with the newborn themselves. Martinez-Neal's artwork here just glows, suffused with a sense of light and warmth, and expressively capturing the love the two parents (and the family cat and dog!) have for this tiny newcomer. Recommended to anyone looking for books about the idea of babymoon (I'd never heard the term before, myself) - about the joy and beauty of welcoming a baby to the family circle. show less

Pearl, a cheery little girl in polka-dot shoes and overalls, has built several birdfeeders and is excited to get started on birdwatching. But, as any bird lover might expect, she gets a very strange, furry bird - a squirrel. Frustrated, she tries to bar the mischievous gray squirrel from the peanuts in her teacup birdfeeder, but no matter how cleverly she works, the squirrel keeps getting in and snatching those peanuts!
Finally, she puts all her efforts into an elaborate obstacle course, but show more of course the squirrel defeats it easily. Then Pearl realizes that it's actually a mama squirrel feeding her babies, and decides to feed both squirrels AND the birds, giving the mama squirrel lots of opportunities for teaching her kits how to navigate the obstacle course.

Back matter includes "some squirrelly facts." This book first caught my eye because, well, I might have a little... thing going on with the squirrels in my yard. However, I would like to point out that it is not ONE squirrel, but at least seven, with more coming and going, and they do not have the courtesy to only eat from the feeder I set up just for them, in company with the rapidly-expanding chipmunk population they get into everything. So it's not exactly a realistic story - there would have been a lot more than one squirrel, unless it was tough enough to fight off the other squirrels (yes, I've had to clean squirrel blood off my feeders) and after she emptied the teacup in 3 seconds flat, she would have cleaned out the other feeders!

Ahem.

I admit that squirrels ARE cute and clever and fun to watch, and this is a sweet and silly story that shows two girls, human and squirrel, using their ingenuity to the fullest!

Verdict: However you feel about squirrels, this story will make you giggle and maybe even get kids creating some of their own obstacle courses for the squirrels in their backyards!

ISBN: 9780823442515; Published August 2020 by Margaret G. Ferguson; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

I’m currently pregnant with my second kiddo and this incredibly sweet book is such a treat. The author captures those quiet moments at home with a newborn as you establish your new family.
Each page has rhyming lines like...
“Familiar lullabies to croon.
This gentle time, our baby moon.”

The illustrations are lovely. From baby’s tiny yawn to a curious puppy, they are filled with love. I’ll be getting copies of this one for friends that are expecting their first babies!