THE BABIES AND DOGGIES BOOK

Photographs of babies and toddlers in a variety of activities are juxtaposed with similar shots of puppies and older dogs in this sturdy board book.

The attractive cover shows an Asian boy holding a huge ice cream cone, with a dachshund next to him, licking his chops in anticipation. The book’s square format is a little larger than most board books, with left-hand pages showing the children in action and right-hand pages with dogs in similar poses. The child models (all undeniably cute) range in age from crawling babies to a running 2-year-old, and of the 19 children, 10 are children of color. Paired photographs include views of smelling flowers, splashing in water and cuddling up with a pal. The photographs contain lots of action and varied perspectives, alternating between close-ups and longer shots. The simple, loosely rhymed text explains that babies and dogs do lots of the same things, including hiding, eating, running and playing ball. The text consists of just a few sentences, with just a couple words (“goofy” and “loopy”) stretching typical toddler vocabulary.

No new territory here, but the combination of charming kids and adorable dogs creates an appealing board book for little ones.