Everyone--including adoptive parents and children longing for validation of their unique experiences--will embrace this pitch- perfect celebration of true family values. ``Tell me again'' is the endearing catchphrase a young girl employs to get her parents to recount the creation of their family: the late-night phone call (``Tell me again how you screamed''), a plane ride (``and how there was no movie, only peanuts''), the trip to the hospital (``you both got very quiet and felt very small''), love at first sight in the nursery (``you couldn't believe something so small could make you smile so big''). ``Tell me again about the first time you held me in your arms and called me your baby sweet. Tell me again how you cried happy tears.'' It's all here, including a childlike family tree and a funny spread showing a ``New Baby (actual size).'' In those scenes and others, Cornell's quirky watercolors enhance the book's tone and expand on its humor, effectively alternating between highly comic scenes and quieter, more loving ones. (Picture book. 2-8)
