BATHTIME

Animals and their youngsters enjoy a squeaky-clean time.

Exploring the ins and outs of bathtime, this board book puts an emphasis on togetherness and tranquility. Each double-page spread features a different set of animals bathing their babies in species-appropriate fashion. Cats lick their paws and scrub their faces; monkeys use their fingers to clean one another. The text is in rhyming verse, one half of a couplet per double-page spread. The animals range from elephants to piggies, but the message is always the same: Bathtime is bonding time. This is one calm board book. The loosely defined drawings fit the theme of rest and relaxation, and the warm colors will surely put little ones at ease. Dicmas invests her images with plenty of humor: a puppy shakes off vigorously, jowls flying. Others in the series revolve around Bedtime, Mealtime, and Playtime. All four books have the same format but feature different animals.

Perfectly sweet.